ATLANTA — The New York Giants are on another roll. Now, they've got to sustain it.

Eli Manning passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Giants to their fourth straight win, 31-10 over the hapless Atlanta Falcons last night.

The Giants (4-2) took control after a wild first quarter in which the teams combined for 24 points. New York scored the final 24 points to send the Michael Vick-less Falcons tumbling to their fifth loss in six games.

"I felt good throwing the ball," said Manning, who completed 12 straight at one point in the first half. "I was getting opportunities in a timely fashion. I was spreading the ball around to all receivers."

The Giants have bounced back after starting the season with losses to Dallas and Green Bay, but they must be mindful of the collapse that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago.

A five-game winning streak had the Giants at 6-2 midway through the 2006 season, but they managed just two more wins the rest of the way.

Maybe that's why coach Tom Coughlin didn't sound all that enthused.

"I thought sometimes we did play well offensively, and then sometimes we did not," he said. "There were some issues."

Manning threw a pair of touchdown passes and set up another New York TD with three straight completions, which lessened the damage of two interceptions and losing a fumble when John Abraham knocked the ball loose just before the quarterback's arm went forward.

It also helped to be playing the Falcons, who are averaging just 13.2 points a game.

"They are a good defensive football team," Coughlin said. "They have some problems, obviously, on the offensive side of the ball."

Manning was 27 of 39 and put up his highest total since a 312-yard performance against the Cowboys in Week 1.

He hooked up with Amani Toomer on a 5-yard scoring pass in the back-and-forth opening period. Before the half was done, Manning went deep for a 43-yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress that gave the Giants a 21-10 lead; Burress turned to the crowd and bowed after getting wide open down the middle.

The Falcons started quickly, jumping ahead on Morten Andersen's 47-yard field and reclaiming a 10-7 lead when Jerious Norwood broke off a 67-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage after Manning's TD pass to Toomer.

New York bounced back to take the lead for good before the quarter was done. Brandon Jacobs broke off a 20-yard run and Manning completed three passes for 56 yards, the last of them a 17-yarder that Toomer gathered in at the 1 and managed to drag both toes along the turf before tumbling out of bounds.

Reuben Droughns powered over on the next play, and the Giants were up 14-10 and on their way.

Toomer became the leading receiver in Giants history with his 587th career reception, and also tied Kyle Rote's club mark with 48 TD catches.

Derrick Ward added New York's final score with just over 3 minutes remaining on a 9-yard run.

Falcons coach Bobby Petrino must be wondering why he left a college powerhouse at Louisville.

"I'm frustrated, everybody's frustrated," he said. "We've just got to keep working at it. Eventually, it's going to turn."

INJURY UPDATES

Titans: Tennessee is hoping quarterback Vince Young is a fast healer. Young had an MRI exam yesterday to check out his strained right quadriceps muscle. The results of the test weren't immediately available, and coach Jeff Fisher said Young would be considered day to day. Tight end Bo Scaife saw the quarterback walking around yesterday and thought Young looked like he was fine. One healing factor could come from the schedule. The Titans (3-2) visit Young's hometown Sunday and the team, the Texans (3-3), that passed him over in the 2006 draft.

Rams: Watching winless St. Louis (0-6) lose two more games while he nursed two broken ribs was long enough on the sidelines for Marc Bulger. It'll be months before those injuries heal, but his beat-up team needs him. Bulger said he plans to return to the lineup this week, and coach Scott Linehan said the quarterback would be cleared to play at Seattle. "Yeah, I'm playing," Bulger said. "(The ribs) definitely feel a little better, but I haven't been hit."

Chargers: While resurgent San Diego awaited word on the severity of Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick's foot injury, All-Pro defensive tackle Jamal Williams underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees yesterday. Williams had loose particles that had been bothering him flushed out. The Chargers have their bye this weekend, and "with a little luck," Williams will be able to play when the Chargers host Houston on Oct. 28, coach Norv Turner said. Hardwick was having an MRI on his injured right foot. Turner said Hardwick could be out three to four weeks.

Seahawks: Defensive tackle Chuck Darby is facing knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren announced Darby, a three-year starter and leader of Seattle's defense, tore the patella tendon in his right knee Sunday night. Darby was being blocked on a running play in the second half of a 28-17 loss to New Orleans when his knee buckled.

Ravens: Steve McNair was tired of trying to play in pain. Baltimore coach Brian Billick ran out of patience waiting for the quarterback to heal. So the two agreed: McNair sits out two straight games, then steps back into the starter's role. Kyle Boller will start at quarterback for a second straight week this Sunday in Buffalo, Baltimore's final game before a much-needed bye.