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Manning, Giants pummel Redskins without Burress

Nov 30, 2008 - 11:51 PM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

LANDOVER, Maryland (Ticker) -- Eli Manning passed for a season-high 305 yards and a touchdown in the rain while John Carney kicked three field goals to lead the New York Giants to a 23-7 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Manning completed 21-of-34 passes, including a 40-yard touchdown to Amani Toomer, with one interception for the Giants (11-1).

New York won its seventh consecutive game despite being without wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

The talented but troubled Burress, sidelined by a hamstring injury, was not with the team after suffering an accidental gunshot wound to his leg at a New York City nightclub Friday night.

"That's what's been on peoples' minds, is his health," Manning said. "We're hoping that he has a speedy recovery. He's a teammate, he's a friend, and that's all we're worrying about.

"We got an update and heard that he's doing well and should be getting out of the hospital soon, if not already out. That's good news to hear."

Without the Giants' leader in receiving yardage, Manning spread the ball around to six other receivers.

Toomer led the pack with five receptions for 85 yards. Derrick Ward caught five balls for 75 yards while Domenik Hixon also had five receptions for 71 yards.

"We knew they were going to put stuff in the box and try to make us throw the ball," Toomer said. "We're not scared of that. We will throw the ball with the best of them. We have one of the best quarterbacks in the league and we feel like we have one of the best receiving corps in the league."

Manning credited his receivers for accomplishing the mission with a slippery ball.

"The receivers did a great job of getting open and catching the ball in wet conditions by using their hands. That's tough at times," Manning said. "The line protected and we hit some big plays.

"We started off fast by hitting Toomer down the sideline for the touchdown and that was a big play by him getting on top of the corner."

Brandon Jacobs' 1-yard TD run gave the Giants a 20-7 lead with 8:38 remaining in the third quarter. Jacobs got the eight-play, 48-yard scoring drive started with a 23-yard gallop and finished with 71 yards on 21 carries.

"We would have loved for (Burress) to have been with us today," Jacobs said. "Luckily, we were still able to get the win because we have an awesome team and we played well together today."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin was glad to see his team remain focused on playing football.

"We are all upset about what happened with Plaxico, and hopefully he will be fine," Coughlin said. "Once we knew he was going to be OK, the guys were all able to go back to focusing on the reason we are here."

The Giants scored for the third time on their third possession. This time, they drove 60 yards in six plays, capped by Carney's 38-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 12:01 remaining in the second quarter.

On the first play of the drive, Manning dumped a pass in the flat to running back Derrick Ward, who scampered 48 yards to Washington's 32-yard line.

Manning then connected with Steve Smith for 11 yards and Toomer for 5 more, putting Carney within range.

After holding Washington on downs, the Giants drove 67 yards on 11 plays, capped by Carney's 31-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter.

Manning connected with tight end Kevin Boss for 24 yards to the Redskins' 44-yard line. Hixon's 13-yard reception notched another first down.

"I was just focusing on the task at hand," Hixon said.

Manning's 15-yard completion to Toomer on a slant pattern and a late hit by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall moved the Giants to Washington's 8-yard line. Redskins defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery sacked Manning for a 6-yard loss on third down, and New York settled for a field goal.

"Eli had a great game in the conditions where everybody thought he could't play," Toomer said. "He had another good game in the conditions and that's just a testament that he's a good quarterback. People just don't give him his credit."

Redskins wide receiver Devin Thomas scored his first career touchdown on a 29-yard reverse that pulled Washington within 13-7 with 8:31 remaining in the second quarter.

Manning drove the Giants 71 yards in seven plays on their first possession. Toomer capped the drive with a 40-yard TD reception of Manning's perfectly thrown pass to the front right corner of the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 9:56 remaining in the first.

Carney's 39-yard field goal with 6:26 left provided the final margin.

Jason Campbell completed 23-of-38 passes for 232 yards with one interception for Washington (7-5).

"Some of it was us and some of it was what the Giants were doing defensively," Campbell said. "The Giants had the right defense for the plays we dialed up."

Clinton Portis, who sustained a jammed neck but returned to the game, rushed for only 22 yards on 11 carries, yet he refused to quit battling.

"You come to the realization, 'I've got all offseason to recover,' and I don't want to go home early," Portis said. "If I can find a way to keep pushing week in and week out, keep fighting with my teammates.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn questioned his players' focus.

"I didn't feel we understood how critical this game was," he said. "If we did understand the importance of a win today, we definitely didn't perform like we did."