The Great Escape

In the end, it will go down as a win, but it almost was a disaster. Facing an inferior team, the Giants showed a lack of urgency and suffered some critical injuries as they squeaked by Houston 14-10 Sunday.

The Texans took the lead with 1:14 left in the third quarter, capping of an impressive 18-play drive. After trading punts, the Giants launched an 11-play drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Shockey. Houston was driving again, but the Giants’ defense forced a huge turnover and the offense ran out the clock.

Now the Giants have to hope for good news on the injury front. Kareem McKenzie, Plaxico Burress, Osi Umenyiora, Brandon Short and Sam Madison all missed yesterday’s game while Michael Strahan hurt his foot and was wearing a boot on it last night. New York has a two game lead in the division and a chance to seize the top spot in the conference with a victory over the Bears next Sunday.