Nicks not only plays, he amazes

Somehow, Hakeem Nicks was able to outdo himself.

Minutes after his one-handed, acrobatic snag on the far sideline was ruled incomplete, the Giants receiver gave his team an early first-quarter lead with an equally impressive maneuver in the end zone.

For days, it was unclear if Nicks would even suit up for Monday night's 28-16 win over the Rams at MetLife Stadium. But the wide receiver was neither hobbled nor slowed by the bone bruise and hyperextended left knee he suffered during last week's loss to the Redskins. Nicks finished with three catches for 15 yards and ended up being one of the few targets left for quarterback Eli Manning after Mario Manningham (concussion) and Domenik Hixon (calf) left in the second half.

After Dave Tollefson recovered a fumbled punt by Rams rookie Greg Salas at the Rams' 38 with 8:16 to go in the first quarter, Manning fired a bullet on fourth-and-4 to Nicks, who made a jaw-dropping, one-handed catch on the far sideline. Though it was ruled incomplete because he had a foot out of bounds, the Giants gained the yardage because Bradley Fletcher was called for pass interference.

"He was holding my right arm," said Nicks, who was listed as questionable on the Giants' final injury report of the week. "That left arm was free, so I made a play trying to catch it with the left hand."

And it wouldn't be long before Nicks got another chance to shine. After Brandon Jacobs ran 6 yards up the middle, Manning spotted single coverage on Nicks and let the ball fly into the end zone. It wasn't a great throw, but Nicks made it work.

The wide receiver ran back, then stopped and turned his body to create space between himself and the defender before making an off-balance catch on the 3-yard score. Nicks' touchdown gave the Giants a 7-3 lead with 5:47 to go in the first quarter.

His speedy reflexes and soft hands were a welcome relief on an evening that began promisingly for the Giants, but seemed derailed by a Manning interception on their first drive. Their offense sputtered early as Manning failed to settle into a groove. He completed three of his first 12 passes before finishing 18-for-29 for 200 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Though Michael Boley and Hixon -- who injured his right calf after making a 22-yard touchdown catch with 29 seconds left in the second quarter -- brought the stadium crowd to life again with key second-quarter scores, it was Nicks who set the tone early. It was a surprising feat for a guy who had MRIs on his wrist and knee last week.

But Nicks said he never doubted he'd be out on the field Monday.

"I knew all along," said the wideout, who added that the swelling in his knee went down "tremendously" each day this past week. "My mentality all along was that I was playing . . . Sunday, there wasn't no swelling, so I knew I was a go."

Nicks' health is even more important now that Manningham's status remains uncertain. The wide receiver, who was stopped by a small group of reporters outside the Giants' locker room after the game, said he did not have a concussion and instead injured the right side of his neck on the drive before Hixon's third-quarter touchdown.

"I'm good," said Manningham, who added that he felt better after getting the area massaged. As for being able to practice, he said: "Oh yeah, Wednesday. I'll be out there."

The Giants, however, said the receiver didn't pass the baseline concussion test administered by their medical team and as a result was held out of the game.

Hixon's calf injury also was in dispute. Though he told reporters he was pulled from the game (for precautionary reasons) because his right calf felt tight, the Giants later said they're still calling Hixon's injury a knee injury because that's the part of the body they're evaluating.