Manning and the New York Giants returned to University of Phoenix Stadium for the first time since they toppled the New England Patriots in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history last February.

Tom Brady, Randy Moss and that great New England passing attack weren't there for a rematch. But the script remained the same. Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and another great passing attack were waiting on the Giants.

The Arizona Cardinals were 7-3, sitting atop the NFC West and eager to prove their legitimacy as a Super Bowl contender against the defending champions.

Except these were hardly the defending champs. So many of the principals in that 17-14 championship game weren't around.

Brandon Jacobs, the leading ball carrier in the Super Bowl, was scratched before the game with a knee injury.

Plaxico Burress, who caught the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass in the final minute, left Sunday's game in the opening series with an aggravated hamstring injury.

David Tyree, who scored the other New York touchdown against the Patriots, hasn't played all season because of a knee injury.

Not that it mattered. Manning was still there, and he turned in another Super Bowl MVP-type performance in dusting the Cardinals, 37-29. Without Jacobs, Burress and Tyree, he just looked elsewhere.

Manning tossed touchdown passes to wide receiver Amani Toomer, fullback Madison Hedgecock and tight end Kevin Boss. Who needs Burress?

Manning completed 26 of 33 passes for 240 yards with no interceptions and no fumbles and was sacked once. His 127.3 efficiency rating was among the best of his career.

"Eli continues to do what he has to do to win ball games for us," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

Domenick Hixon filled in for Burress and caught a team-high six passes for 57 yards. Ward filled in for Jacobs and rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown. Hedgecock caught his first TD pass of the season.

"We have a great deal of confidence in a lot of guys," Manning said. "That's a credit to the players who don't get a whole lot of the reps and the coaches who are getting them prepared."

The Giants improved to 10-1 and have a three-game lead in the NFC East with five to play. The Giants also have a two-game lead in their quest for the top seed in the NFC.

rgosselin@dallasnews.com

IN THE HUDDLE

Observations from Week 12

-Worst start of the week - and perhaps the season - goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars . They botched the center snap on the first play of the game, and Minnesota linebacker Napoleon Harris scooped it up and ran 27 yards for a touchdown. Then Brian Witherspoon fumbled away the ensuing kickoff at the Jaguars' 28. Three plays later, the Vikings were up 14-0 - 95 seconds into the game. Jacksonville lost, 30-12.

-The Buffalo Bills took Troy CB Leodis McElvin with the 11th overall pick of the 2008 draft because they loved his big-play ability. He scored eight touchdowns in his college career on interception, kickoff and punt returns. Lately, he's been flashing that big-play ability for the Bills, returning a kickoff 98 yards for a TD last Monday night against Cleveland and an interception 64 yards Sunday against Kansas City.

-Bills QB Trent Edwards will never be confused for Vince Young, Steve McNair or Fran Tarkenton, who made plays with their legs. But he became the first NFL quarterback this season to rush for two touchdowns in a game, scoring on dashes of 15 and 5 yards.

-Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb would not be in favor of realignment - not if it means putting his Eagles in the AFC North. In the last two games on the road against AFC North foes Cincinnati and Baltimore, McNabb has thrown five interceptions and lost two fumbles. He was benched at halftime with the Eagles trailing the Ravens, 10-7.

-New England WR Randy Moss has been one of the NFL's most prolific touchdown scorers, hitting double figures in seven of his 11 seasons and setting an NFL record with 23 in 2007. He had three TD receptions against Miami, his second three-touchdown game since 2003. He had a four-TD game against Buffalo in 2007.

-Southlake Carroll 10, Lake Highlands 6. A couple of Dallas-area kickers provided all but six of the points in Houston's 16-6 upset of the Cleveland Browns . Southlake Carroll's Kris Brown kicked field goals of 36, 31 and 31 and added an extra point for the Texans. Lake Highlands' Phil Dawson kicked a pair of 32-yard field goals for Cleveland.

-The Chiefs allowed a franchise-record 54 points against Buffalo. But the day was not a complete washout for them. Tight end Tony Gonzalez caught 10 passes for 113 yards, his 25th game with 100 receiving yards, a record for tight ends. Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow held the previous record of 24.

-Atlanta's Michael Turner became the second back to rush for four touchdowns in a game this season, joining Miami's Ronnie Brown. Turner's came against Carolina, Brown's against New England. Turner also has a three-touchdown game this season against Detroit.

Titans' OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES

Collins' arm can't carry load

The Tennessee Titans ran off to an 8-0 start this season on the legs of running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

Quarterback Kerry Collins became a caretaker for the Titans, never passing for more than 200 yards in a game and failing to throw a touchdown pass in four of his seven starts.

But since Week 10, defenses have stacked their fronts to stop Tennessee's ground game, defying Collins to win with his arm.

Collins survived that defensive strategy on the road against Chicago and Jacksonville but came up flat Sunday at home against the New York Jets . The Titans are no longer unbeaten as a result, ending their chase at perfection with a 34-13 loss.

Collins threw for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 win over the Bears and threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-14 win over Jacksonville.

But he completed only three of his first 13 passes Sunday as the Titans fell behind, 10-0.

Collins was 7-of-20 for 65 yards late in the third quarter and the Titans trailed, 20-3. But Tennessee went into a hurry-up mode, and Collins finally started throwing the ball down the field.

He finished 21-of-39 for 239 yards and a touchdown, but it was too late.

The running game was subpar for the third consecutive week, gaining 46 yards.

Receivers dropped several passes, and the defense did a poor job of tackling, allowing the Jets to control the ball for more than 40 minutes.

At 10-1, the Titans still hold a two-game lead for the AFC's top seed with five games to play.

RANKINGS

1. NY Giants 1

2. Tennessee 2

3. Pittsburgh 4

4. NY Jets 6

If the Jets played in the NBA, Leon Washington would be in the running for the Sixth Man Award. He came off the bench to rush eight times for 82 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Thomas Jones, propelling the Jets past the Tennessee Titans .

5. Tampa Bay 5

6. Carolina 3

7. Indianapolis 7

8. Baltimore 10

9. Dallas 11

10. Washington 12

11. New England 13

12. Atlanta 14

Quarterback Matt Ryan has all but wrapped up the NFL Rookie of the Year award. He passed for 259 yards and didn't throw an interception for the seventh time in 11 starts. He has the Falcons at 7-4, one game out of the NFC South lead.

13. Arizona 8

14. Miami 9

15. Denver 15

16. Buffalo 17

17. Green Bay 16

18. New Orleans 18

19. Minn. 20

The best run defense in the NFC limited Jacksonville's Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to 35 yards. That allowed the Vikings to keep pace with the 6-5 Chicago Bears atop the NFC North.

20. Chicago 21

21. Philadelphia 19

22. San Diego 23

23. Jacksonville 22

24. Cleveland 24

25. Houston 25

26. Oak. 29

This is the type of performance the Raiders have been expecting from JaMarcus Russell since selecting him first overall in the 2007 NFL draft - big plays and few mistakes. He was 10-of-11 for 152 yards and a touchdown in a 31-10 upset of Denver.

27. S. Francisco 27

28. Seattle 28

29. Cincinnati 26

30. Kansas City 30

31. St. Louis 31

32. Calg. NR

The Calgary Stampeders won the sixth Grey Cup in franchise history but their first since 2001 on Sunday, when they beat the Montreal Alouettes, 22-14. Sandro DeAngelis kicked five field goals to power the Stamps to supremacy in the Canadian Football League.

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