Giants Plax May Be Riding Pine

New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was downgraded on the injury report from probable to questionable yesterday. The leading receiver for the Giants is suffering from a lower back strain, an injury that's been with him for a good part of the season. He's certainly quarterback Eli Manning's favorite receiver, having caught 31 passes for 510 yards and 5 TD's, all team-leading.

At 6-5, Burress routinely uses his size to out-leap opposing defenders and allows Eli Manning to put the ball up where no one but Burress can catch it. Should Plax sit this one out, veterans Amani Toomer, Tim Carter and TE Jeremy Shockey will need to pick up the slack. Toomer is more than a capable receiver and has a great rapport with Manning. Shockey is Shockey, for the most part reliable when he's called on. Carter is healthy for the first time in his career and will need to show his worth this weekend. He needs to avoid drops and come up big in key situations, something he's been unable to do throughout his less that spectacular career.

The Giants were likely to lean heavily on the running game and RB's Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs before the Burress injury. If Burress is to miss the game, look for the Giants to run the ball upwards of 40 times and limit their downfield passing to 15 yards outs and short strikes over the middle to Shockey and Barber. The loss of Burress would hut the offense, but it wouldn't kill them.