The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record from 2008, avenge their divisional round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and make the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

They were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2004 in Week 16, after the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys both won.

With the pick they closed the gap left by Plaxico Burress in the roster, selecting wide receiver Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina.

The injury bug would later notably strike first-round draft pick Hakeem Nicks, who suffered a sprained foot in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field.

The victory served as a sort of going-away party for the Giants, who now faced a rare three-game roadtrip for the first time since 1994. at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas In contrast to the teams' previous meeting, the grand opening of Cowboys Stadium (in front of the largest regular-season crowd in NFL history[10]) was a fast-paced shootout.

Giants rookie cornerback Bruce Johnson scored his first career points returning a Tony Romo interception 34 yards.

Later, Giants safety Kenny Phillips caught an odd interception off Witten's foot, setting up quarterback Eli Manning's 100th career touchdown pass—a 22-yard strike to Manningham.

Romo ran a quarterback sneak to open the scoring in the second half, but the Giants sent wide receiver Steve Smith into the end zone in the fourth quarter.

The Giants proceeded to score on their first possession for the fourth straight week, this time on a short pass to Smith.

Late in the game, the Chiefs put up a brief flurry of offense; quarterback Matt Cassel threw touchdowns to tight end Sean Ryan and wide receiver Bobby Wade within a span of about five minutes.

Initially concerned about a possible Achilles tendon injury, he was later diagnosed with plantar fasciitis; his start against the Raiders was to be a game-time decision.

The Giants extended their first-possession scoring streak to five games, sending Ahmad Bradshaw into the end zone for his first touchdown of the year.

The Giants' defense, which entered the game as the best in the NFL, gave up 493 total yards and 7 touchdowns to seven different Saints, including Shockey.

[12] Trying to end a two-game losing streak, the Giants went into Lincoln Financial Field for a crucial Week 8 game with the Philadelphia Eagles, as the divisional lead was up for grabs.

New York tried to rally as kicker Lawrence Tynes booted a 35-yard field goal, followed by running back Ahmad Bradshaw.

After a defensive stop by the Chargers that held the Giants to a field goal from the 4-yard line, Rivers led his team 80 yards in the final two minutes and threw Jackson the winning score with twenty-one seconds remaining on the clock.

The Giants were missing veteran linebacker Antonio Pierce, who was nursing a bulging disc in his neck, and the Falcons' star running back Michael Turner was also out with a high ankle sprain.

Giants fullback Madison Hedgecock opened the scoring in the fourth quarter by catching his first touchdown of the season, but Falcons receiver Eric Weems caught his second of the year on the ensuing drive.

In a sort of déjà vu moment for the Giants, another opponent's comeback took them right up until the final minute; tight end Tony Gonzalez caught the tying touchdown with 35 seconds left in regulation.

In a late rally by the Cowboys, Miles Austin caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Romo, but the ensuing onside kick resulted in a penalty on Sam Hurd for illegal touching and the Giants ran out the clock.

McNabb connected with Celek for a touchdown, and Sheldon Brown returned a Brandon Jacobs fumble for six points on the ensuing drive.

After DeSean Jackson responded by returning a Jeff Feagles punt 72 yards for a touchdown, the Giants were able to send Bradshaw into the end zone from the 3.

The Eagles struck again in the fourth quarter, this time on a run by fullback Leonard Weaver and a two-point conversion pass to Jason Avant.

The Giants put another touchdown on the board (courtesy of Boss) in the last two minutes of the game, and got the ball back with 28 seconds left.

But defensive end Darren Howard sacked Manning and forced a fumble, sealing the Eagles' first sweep of the Giants since 2004.

Quinton Ganther, starting at running back in place of the injured Clinton Portis, gave the Redskins another touchdown late in the third quarter, but could not get into the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt.

Manning threw one more touchdown pass to Manningham in the fourth quarter, which boosted the Giants to their highest point total on the road since 1954.

The Panthers, starting Matt Moore at quarterback in place of the injured Jake Delhomme, quickly took control of the game, scoring on their first four possessions (a 38-yard John Kasay field goal; a 29-yard Jonathan Stewart touchdown run; a 22-yard Muhsin Muhammad touchdown catch; and a 2-yard catch for tight end Jeff King).

The loss, along with wins by the Cowboys and Packers this week, mathematically eliminated the Giants from the postseason, breaking their streak of 4 consecutive playoff appearances.

Scoring touchdowns for Minnesota were former Giant Visanthe Shiancoe, Pro Bowlers Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice (twice), and fullback Naufahu Tahi.