Lotsa Good Stuff

But the 31-24 win over Dallas wasn't perfect now, was it? For all the intensity the re-jiggered defense showed, there were still some problems, and this report card will show that.

But if we could give an overall grade to this team, let's award a big "A" for achievement. They needed this win to stay in the NFC East and playoff race, and they got it despite the bumps, bruises, and inefficiencies recently shown by both offense and defense. It was a heck of a comeback from their 26-6 no-show against Denver, and it could well serve as a jumping off point in the drive for a playoff spot.

But report cards deal in specifics, so a note of realism is called for here. And there's nobody better at keeping it real than us, meaning me and you. So here we go with grading a great, but flawed, victory.

QUARTERBACK: For the first time since he injured the right foot against Kansas City in Week 4, Eli Manning showed evidence that it is bothering him, especially on the deep throw. He floated three long passes, one of which was intercepted in the end zone, another that sailed wide of Steve Smith and would have been picked had the defensive back been two steps closer to center field, and another that Smith made a great catch on. He had basically a rough day in going 11-for-25 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. But he did manage to throw a couple right on the button, none better than the flat pass that hit Brandon Jacobs in stride to spring him for a 74-yard touchdown. GRADE: B.

RUNNING BACKS: Jacobs was the pass-catching star of this group, of course, with his fantastic catch-and-run down the sideline. He showed tremendous balance as S Gerald Sensabaugh tried to knock him out of bounds, and then made a final lunge to the pylon as he was hit. He also scored a rushing touchdown, powering his way up the middle despite being hit early. Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled away his first touch, but atoned for that by popping a 29-yard run that set up the fourth-quarter field goal that put the Giants up 24-17. And tight end Kevin Boss was credited with a 16-yard run when he headily positioned himself to take a lateral a split second before the pass rush dragged Manning down for a sack. Still, the ground game only had 23 carries for 100 yards, and was unable to get the Giants into a good rhythm. GRADE: B.

RECEIVERS: Anybody doubting that Steve Smith deserves the first Pro Bowl nod for a Giants' wide receiver since Homer Jones in 1967 should have watched this game. He caught six passes for 110 yards, putting him 21 yards short of 1,000 for the season, including a couple of acrobatic ones. He also broke a 36-yard gain, setting up his blockers in his left-to-right journey to the far sideline. But he, too, wasn't perfect. He dropped a tough but catchable throw to the end zone that forced that fourth-quarter field goal that kept it a one-score game. Hakeem Nicks continued to shine, showing great awareness on his 21-yard touchdown grab by catching it and stepping around Terence Newman for a clean trip to the end zone. Manning's interception proved as much Mario Manningham's fault as Manning's, considering he made no play whatsoever after being outleaped by Mike Jenkins. GRADE: B+.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Once again, the line didn't open many holes for Jacobs and Bradshaw, and the pass blocking left much to be desired. Though Manning was sacked only once, he was under fire much of the night. The Cowboys had four tackles for losses. With the Giants up by two touchdowns with 3:28 remaining after Dallas turned it over on downs, they failed to block well enough for Jacobs to gain sufficient yardage to run the clock on first and second downs, and then they allowed a sack on third down to force a punt that resulted in a final touchdown. GRADE: C.

DEFENSIVE LINE: The move to replace Osi Umenyiora on most running downs with Mathias Kiwanuka paid off, as the line helped hold Dallas to 45 yards rushing. It also juiced up Umenyiora, whose huge recovery and 29-yard return of Kiwanuka's forced fumble on Marion Barber created a go-ahead touchdown just before halftime. Kiwanuka had six tackles and a hit on Tony Romo, and Justin Tuck and Barry Cofield had two hits each to keep Romo ducking and dodging. Tuck and Cofield had batted passes. Dave Tollefson stopped Miles Austin for a yard on third-and-3 to help stop a deep Cowboys drive in the fourth quarter. There was a lot of pressure, but much of it was thwarted by Romo's quick release. Still, it was a major improvement over the general performance of the last six games. GRADE: B+.

LINEBACKERS: Jonathan Goff looked very comfortable at middle linebacker in place of Chase Blackburn. He appeared to have a forced fumble, but it was reversed on a replay challenge. Still, Goff had eight tackles. Michael Boley called all the defensive signals and kept a good line of communication going. He had 11 tackles and a pass defensed. Clint Sintim was sent up front a few times and had one of the Giants' two sacks. The glaring problem remains pass coverage, however. Tight end Jason Witten found every seam in the zone coverages, with nary a linebacker in the frame most of the time. And when a linebacker was on him, Witten won the foot race. That problem shows no evidence of improving, either. But at least the blitz packages applied more pressure than usual. GRADE: B.

SECONDARY: S Aaron Rouse had the other sack. That's the good news. The bad news is that Romo threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns, two of them easy tosses to Roy Williams against Corey Webster. He was the weak link that game, a departure from the high level he's played at this year. Bruce Johnson should have had an interception on a deflected 32-yard completion to Witten in a second-quarter field goal drive. C.C. Brown did okay against the run, making nine tackles, including one behind the line, but looked typically lost in coverage. Give Aaron Ross credit for dropping Barber for a no gain on a fourth-and-2 completion in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys moved way too easily in the air despite Romo being under pressure. And there was no excuse for the safeties failing to challenge Witten during a 14-catch, 156-yard performance. The Cowboys' final touchdown pass to Miles Austin was too easy, and it made for a tense on-side kick. GRADE: D.

SPECIAL TEAMS: If not for Domenik Hixon's 79-yard punt return for a touchdown, this one would have gone into overtime for sure. But the return unit was great on that play, starting with Hixon's change-of-direction at the outset to the formation of a wall that produced key downfield blocks by Terrell Thomas and Derek Hagan. Jeff Feagles did fine, averaging just under 40 yards on five punts. Lawrence Tynes hit a 23-yard field goal, never a gimmee for him. GRADE: A.

COACHING: Embattled defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan did the right thing in switching out three starting spots and using some of the younger players. It added fire and enthusiasm to what had become a stale, moribund group. Guess the little speech he gave quoting King Leonidis of the Spartans didn't hurt, either. Still can't decide if he grabbed the quotes from Greek literature or the movie "300," but it doesn't matter. It worked. Tom Coughlin did an outstanding job motivating his team, keeping them focused on the mammoth job in front of them instead of dwelling on the past. But have to wonder, Kevin Gilbride, about the whereabouts of tight end Kevin Boss. With Manning's foot obviously hurting, a return to the quick passing game would have been in order, and Boss could have contributed greatly to that. He needs to get more than the one pass for 10 yards he received against Dallas. Still, the offense did just enough. GRADE: A.

Go ahead, gang. Make my day!

EP