Manning shines as Giants hold off Cardinals 37-29

[November 24, 2008]  GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The New York Giants were great in Glendale again, especially Eli Manning. Manning threw for three touchdowns in his return to the scene of his Super Bowl MVP performance and the Giants beat Arizona 37-29 to snap the Cardinals' seven-game home winning streak.

With starting running back Brandon Jacobs out with a knee injury, the Giants took to the air to win their sixth in a row. Manning completed 26 of 33 for 240 yards with no interceptions. Kurt Warner, under fierce pressure most of the afternoon, was 32-for-52 for 351 yards and a touchdown for Arizona (7-4). He was intercepted once and fumbled once, both leading to Giants touchdowns.

On the field where they upset New England in last season's Super Bowl, the Giants (10-1) took the lead late in the first half and never relinquished it.

In the second half, Manning completed 16 of 18 for 156 yards and two scores.

Warner topped 300 yards for the fifth consecutive game, one shy of the record he shares with Steve Young and Rich Gannon. Warner's 5-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin cut the lead to 34-26 with 4:02 to play. The Cardinals' subsequent onside kick bounced off the chest of Arizona's Ralph Brown and was recovered by Chase Blackburn for New York.

John Carney's third field goal, from 33 yards, put the Giants ahead 37-26 with 1:55 remaining.

Neil Rackers' third field goal, a 44-yarder, cut it to 37-29 with 32 seconds left. New York's Steve Smith recovered the onside kick and the game was over.

Already without Jacobs, the Giants lost wide receiver Plaxico Burress early in the game when he aggravated a hamstring injury.

Still, Manning had plenty of targets. Domenik Hixon had kickoff returns of 83 and 68 yards and caught six passes for 57.

Six plays after the second-half kickoff, Warner was stripped of the ball by Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka recovered for New York at the Cardinals at the Arizona 40. On third-and-2, Manning threw 30 yards to Smith at the Cardinals 2. Manning's two-yard touchdown toss to Madison Hedgecock boosted New York's lead to 24-12 with 10:35 left in the quarter.

Arizona went 90 yards in nine plays, cutting the lead to 24-19 on Tim Hightower's 1-yard TD run. But New York took the kickoff and went 80 yards in 10 plays for the score, Manning throwing 10 yards to Kevin Boss to make it 31-19 with 11:15 remaining.

Carney's 27-yard field goal with 6:17 put the Giants up 34-19.

The lead changed hands five times in the first half.

Arizona used up nearly seven minutes of the first quarter with a 13-play, 63-yard drive that ended with Rackers' 34-yard field goal that put the Cardinals up 3-0.

New York went 62 yards in 11 plays to make it 7-3 on Derrick Ward's 1-yard run with 11:38 left in the half.

J.J. Arrington, who had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Dallas, returned one 55 yards to the New York 42. Warner completed three of four passes for 32 yards to set up Tim Hightower's 4-yard touchdown run. But holder Dirk Johnson bobbled the snap on the extra point, and Johnson's desperate pass sailed over the head of a would-be receiver. The botched play left Arizona leading 9-7.

Hixon took the next kickoff 83 yards to the Arizona 17. That led to Carney's 33-yard field goal that put New York back on top 10-9. A personal foul penalty against the Giants' Shaun O'Hara after the field goal forced the Giants to kick off from their 15-yard line.

Arrington took the kick 27 yards to the Cardinals' 49. Warner's 32-yard strike to Jerheme Urban set up a 20-yard field goal by Rackers and Arizona led 12-10.

Not for long. Hixon returned the kickoff 68 yards to the Cardinals' 32. The Giants needed six plays to score on Manning's 12-yard pass to Amani Toomer and New York led 17-12 1:08 from halftime.

[Associated Press; By BOB BAUM]

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