honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:29 a.m., Sunday, November 30, 2008

NFL: Burress no distraction as Giants roll, 23-7

By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer

LANDOVER, Md. — Nothing is stopping the New York Giants these days. Not the latest distraction surrounding their star receiver. Not the rain on a dreary day in the mid-Atlantic. Not a Washington Redskins team with the NFL's leading rusher and a usually stout defense.

Eli Manning had his first 300-yard game of the season, Clinton Portis was held to 22 yards rushing, and the Giants put aside the Plaxico Burress mess today with another dominating performance, 23-7 over the Redskins.

The Giants (11-1) have won seven straight, including six in a row against teams with winning records, and have a three-game lead over the second-place Dallas Cowboys with four to play. They completed a sweep of the Redskins by manhandling them in the major statistical categories, including total yards (404-320) and time of possession (35:44-24:16).

The loss not only dropped the Redskins (7-5) out of contention for the NFC East title, but now they also trail Dallas in the wild-card race. Washington has lost three of four — all at home — after a 6-2 start.

Not long before kickoff, Giants president and CEO John Mara was having to answer questions about Burress, who accidentally shot himself in the right thigh at a Manhattan nightclub Friday night and expects to be charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Burress, whose injuries were not serious, has a been a headache for much of the season, but New York has kept its focus and shown it has more than enough talent to win without him.

"This team has proven to be pretty resilient," Mara said.

The Redskins began the game remembering a much more tragic shooting. Sean Taylor was inducted into the team's Ring of Fame to mark the first anniversary of his death, and Portis honored his fallen friend by running onto the field with a No. 21 flag during the pregame tribute.

Once the game began, it was all Giants. Manning finished 21-for-34 for 305 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Brandon Jacobs, who missed last week's game with a knee injury, rushed for 71 yards on 21 carries. Amani Toomer caught five passes for 85 yards and a score.

Manning threw for 68 of the 71 yards on the Giants' opening drive, capped when Toomer beat Fred Smoot one-on-one down the right sideline for a 40-yard touchdown. Meanwhile, the Redskins went three-and-out on their first two drives, both times completing a third-down pass that fell short of the first-down marker.

Manning continued to pick apart the Redskins. A 24-yard pass to Kevin Boss led to a 31-yard field goal, and a 48-yard screen pass to Derrick Ward set up a 38-yard kick that made the score 13-0.

The Redskins needed some trickery to get back in the game. After a screen pass to Portis moved the ball into Giants territory — Portis jammed his neck on the play and had to leave the game temporarily — Washington scored on a double-reverse handoff to rookie receiver Devin Thomas, who dived toward the pylon to complete a 29-yard touchdown run.

The Giants extended their lead in the third quarter, getting good field position after a facemask penalty during a punt return. Jacobs started the drive with a 23-yard run and ended it with a 1-yard leap that made the score 20-7.

Campbell finished 23-for-38 for 232 yards with one interception.