Can Giants' line keep sackless streak going?

To say that the Giants' offensive line has gone four games without allowing a sack is a bit misleading. In actuality, three different Giants offensive lines have not allowed a sack in the last four games. And that might be even more impressive.

While injuries and coaching decisions have shuffled the lineup and the weekly starters seem to be decided like a game of five-card draw - I'll keep these three and discard these two - the effect has been remarkably similar and efficient.

The last time Eli Manning was sacked was Oct. 25 against the Cowboys. Since then, he's thrown 137 passes without hitting the ground for a loss.

It's the longest streak without allowing a sack for the Giants since November 1972, and if they can get through today's game against the Redskins without allowing one, they'll set a franchise record.

Not that they want to know about that.

"Four games without a sack, that's pretty impressive, I guess," starting right tackle Kareem McKenzie reluctantly said, comparing any discussion of the streak to talking about a no-hitter in baseball and dismissing the four-game stretch as "a little fun fact."

He remembers the last time the offensive line was on any kind of a noteworthy run. "Oh, one of the longest streaks in football with the same starting offensive line," he said, mocking what outsiders said. "And ka-pow it went."

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Unlike that previous streak, this one is more about interchangeable parts than consistency in personnel. During the last month, the guys keeping Manning upright have been changing from week to week.

The most dramatic shuffle came at the start of the streak, against the Seahawks, when Shawn Andrews made his first start at left tackle and David Diehl moved inside to guard. The next week, Kevin Boothe came off the PUP list and started at guard against the Cowboys in place of the injured Diehl. The week after that, against the Eagles, it was the same lineup. But last week, against the Jaguars, Will Beatty started at left tackle in place of Andrews.

"It has allowed us to continue to function, let's put it that way," Tom Coughlin said of the ability of backup linemen to play like starters.

It looks as if Diehl might be back at tackle Sunday, lining up next to Boothe for the first time all year and giving the Giants a fourth different permutation in the last five games.

"The theme of the 2010 season is: Be prepared for anything," Boothe said.

Teams always tell their players to prepare as if they are starting, but it's a lot easier to do that when there are seven players who have a realistic chance of doing just that.

"Especially this year, you have to be prepared on a day-to-day basis to be able to go 60, 70 snaps in a game," Boothe said.

The Giants have allowed a league-low 12 sacks this season, but even during this streak, there have been a few close calls. Manning had to throw a lefthanded pass to get away from pressure against the Eagles. And against the Cowboys, he was flagged for intentional grounding to avoid a sack.

These changes have had an effect elsewhere. The Giants averaged 145.4 rushing yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns in the first seven games of the season. In the last four games, they are averaging only 125.0 yards and have scored two rushing touchdowns.

Now they are facing a Redskins team that has 22 sacks and only three games in which they have had more than two. But they still are dangerous to the streak. Brian Orakpo will be rushing from the outside against either the still-inexperienced Beatty or the just-off-injury Diehl.

Will the Giants be able to go five straight games without a sack? They're not thinking about it that way.

"That's what you want, but you're not going out there saying, 'No sack, no sack,' " said Beatty, who is likely to be bumped to the extra tight end by Diehl's return. "You're going out there saying, 'Block this play, block your heart out, give Eli time to pass it . . . Do your job.' When you do your job, you're not going to give up a sack."

Eventually, the linemen know, someone will sack Manning. They just don't know who will do it, when it will happen, or who will allow the sack that ends the streak. Said Beatty, "You don't want to be that guy."