Giants' rush improves, but DBs are shaky

Coming off a season-opening loss in Washington, the Giants' defense welcomed the return from a neck injury of captain Justin Tuck at defensive end against the Rams on Monday night at MetLife Stadium. But even with the improvement in the pass rush the Giants generated against Sam Bradford, the St. Louis quarterback still gashed the Giants for big chunks of yardage on his way to a 331-yard passing night.

It wasn't artistic, but in the end, the defense stopped the Rams three times inside the 10-yard line, and linebacker Michael Boley's 65-yard fumble return for a touchdown proved to be the turning point in a 28-16 Giants victory. The mistakes made in the secondary, some of which led to the brief benching of cornerback Aaron Ross, are correctable, and the Giants know they have to get it fixed before Sunday's date in Philadelphia with their bitter NFC East rivals.

"We'd like to cut back on the yards we gave up, but it's a positive step to where we want to be," Boley said. "We had a lot of positives this game, but also some negatives. We have to learn from our mistakes and get them corrected."

The most positive defensive play of the night came early in the second quarter. The Giants had a 7-6 lead, but the Rams had driven to the Giants' 25-yard line. Under pressure from blitzing linebacker Jacquian Williams, Bradford tried a swing pass to running back Cadillac Williams but threw the ball behind him, making it a lateral and a live ball. Boley picked it up and went the distance for a 14-6 lead.

"I saw he dropped the ball and didn't know if it was a lateral or not," Boley said. "We preach scooping it up and making [the officials] call you back. I didn't hear a whistle, and it was off to the races. It was a big momentum lift."

The Giants' pass-rush pressure contributed heavily to Bradford's sub-.500 completion percentage (22-for-46). Tuck had 11/2 sacks, splitting one with Jason Pierre-Paul.

But on the down side, Ross and safety Deon Grant were caught flat-footed by the Rams' no-huddle offense in the first quarter. They just watched like spectators on a pass from Bradford to Danario Alexander as the receiver fell to the turf, got back up and kept running for 68 yards to the Giants' 1-yard line. "I had just run on the field and tried to give Aaron a [defensive] call," Grant said. "They hiked the ball while him and I were talking."

That was one of the plays that led to the benching of Ross in the third quarter. Ross declined comment after the game, but Grant said: "I told him it happened to me before. He didn't get killed the whole game. He broke up three passes, and he had two long ones on him."

Michael Coe was in the game for Ross when the Rams scored their only touchdown on a 19-yard pass from Bradford to Alexander against Coe near the end of the third period to cut the Giants' lead to 28-16. But Tuck expressed confidence in the secondary, saying: "I know the talent we have on the back end. We've just got to start jelling."

They have six days until the Eagles. Quarterback Michael Vick, who suffered a concussion Sunday, might not play, but backup Mike Kafka has shown he's capable. The memory of last season's come-from-ahead loss to the Eagles that ultimately knocked the Giants out of the playoffs might generate considerable emotion at Lincoln Financial Field.

"It's going to be a heated game," Boley said, "especially after the way we lost last year."