The Giants are only sending one player to the Pro Bowl this season and it will be 32-year old center Shaun O’Hara.  O’Hara has started all 15 games for the Giants this season and he has done a excellent job of both run blocking and pass blocking.  He also works well with Eli Manning who likes to change up the plays at the line of scrimmage.

Brandon Jacobs will have arthroscopic knee surgery next week knocking him out for the season finale against the Vikings on Sunday.  Jacobs played in 15 games for the Giants this season and he carried the ball 224 times for 835 yards (3.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 18 passes for 184 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ahmad Bradshaw will likely carry most of the load in the running game against the Vikings this weekend.  He has played in 14 games this season and he has carried the ball 156 times for 765 yards (4.9 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He has also caught 19 passes for 174 yards (9.2 avg) this season.  Look for Bradshaw to do a good job as the main man on Sunday.

The Giants have placed 27-year old CB Aaron Ross on Injured Reserve with a hamstring problem.  He played in only 4 games this season for the Giants making 10 tackles.  He has now played 3 years for the Giants appearing in 34 games in which he has made 104 tackles, defensed 17 passes, sacked the opposing QB 1.5 times and he has 6 interceptions (two of which he returned for TDs).  The Giants’ pass defense really missed Ross this season.

The Giants were completely awful yesterday as they got punished by the Panthers.  Eli Manning completed 29 of 43 passes for 296 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Ahmad Bradshaw led the way on the ground with 53 yards on 11 carries (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 3 yards.  Mario Manningham led the way in the passing game for the Giants yesterday with 87 yards receiving on 6 grabs (14.5 avg).  Steve Smith pitched in with 7 grabs for 70 yards (10.0 avg) with a TD.  The Giants finished up with 317 total yards on offense in this game (60 rushing, 257 passing).

LB Michael Boley (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Terrell Thomas (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) led a poor effort by the Giants’ D yesterday.  The Panthers finished up with 416 total yards on offense (247 rushing, 169 passing) in this game.  The Giants are now 8-7 on the season and they have been eliminated from playoff contention due to the Cowboys win last night over the Redskins.

The Giants were without a true #1 WR after Plaxico Burress went to the pokey but Steve Smith has taken over that role with a breakout monster season in 2009.  Smith has played in 14 games for the Giants this season and he has caught 90 passes for 1,093 yards (12.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Before this season, Smith played in 21 games for the Giants in which he caught 65 passes for 637 yards (9.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Giants’ passing game has really been great this season and Smith has been a big part of that.

23-year old Ahmad Bradshaw has been excellent this season despite being dinged up all year long.  He has played in 13 games for the Giants this season and he has carried the ball 145 times for 712 yards (4.9 ypc) with 7 TD runs and he has also caught 17 passes for 171 yards (10.1 avg).  Bradshaw has even returned 6 punts for 55 yards (9.2 avg) when the Giants were in need.  Bradshaw and Bradon Jacobs give the Giants a perfect blend of styles giving them a great running game.

This might be a tougher game than the Giants think it will on Sunday.  The Giants should be able to control the football with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw running against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 130.4 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  Eli Manning will have to be careful throwing the ball against the Panthers who already have 19 interceptions this season.  But, if the O-Line gives Manning time to throw the football which won’t be easy as Julius Peppers is a load to block then he should have some success.

The Giants will likely go all out to stop the Panthers’ running game as they are rolling up 148.1 yards rushing and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Giants must get pressure on Matt Moore when he drops back to pass because he has been getting the ball to Steve Smith which makes the Panthers a very explosive offense.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 24, PANTHERS 20

The Giants have lost 26-year old TE Darcy Johnson for the rest of the year due to a shoulder injury.  Johnson played in 13 games for the Giants this season and he caught 5 passes for 32 yards (6.4 avg).  He has now played in 30 games in his career with the Giants and he has caught 9 passes for 78 yards (8.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Johnson is #3 on the depth chart so the Giants won’t miss him too much unless they suffer a rash of injuries at TE.

The New York Giants (8-6) came out on fire and absolutely crushed the Washington Redskins (4-10).  Eli Manning helped lead the Giants to a 24-0 lead at halftime.  Eli played great, passing for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns on 19/26 pass attempts.  The Giants also had a strong running game, with Ahmad Bradshaw getting 61 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 9 carries.  Brandon Jacobs added 52 yards on 16 carries en route to a blowout win.

The Giants defense came to play and caused a lot of problems for Redskins’ quarterback Jason Campbell.  They pressured Campbell all game, sacking him five times.  Campbell finished with 192 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions on 15/28 pass attempts.  They held them to only 89 rushing yards, but it would have been a lot less if not for two long scrambles by Campbell.  This one was pretty much over by halftime, and the Giants playoff chances are still alive.

The New York Giants (7-6)  were killed by Philadelphia Eagles’ (9-4) wide receiver DeSean Jackson and it cost them the game.  Jackson had a 72 yard punt return for a touchdown while also catching 6 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown.  Fumbles also cost the Giants the game, as they fumbled five times and lost four of them.  Eli Manning lost two of those fumbles, but he did have a great game otherwise.  Manning threw for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27/38 passes, but the turnovers really hurt them.  They got a great game from their running backs too, with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combining for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns on 29 carries.

The Giants defense did not play very well in this one, as DeSean Jackson ran all over the field on them.  Donovan McNabb was the one throwing the balls to Jackson, and he finished with 275 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17/26 passes.  Jonathon Goff did intercept McNabb once, but it wasn’t enough since the Giants turned it over four times.  If the Giants would have held on to the ball, they probably would have won this game.