EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants used 11 plays to move from their 20-yard line to the Dallas Cowboys' 3 on their first drive of the game Sunday night. On second-and-goal, Eli Manning rolled right and threw into the middle of the field -- something a quarterback should never, ever do.

Orlando Scandrick, reading Manning’s eyes, reacted to the play perfectly. He broke on the ball and put both hands on it. But he dropped it.

The Giants scored on the next play to take a 7-0 lead. The Giants then had drives of 66 and 80 yards on their next two possessions as they built a 21-10 lead.

“If I make that interception, it’s probably a totally different game,” Scandrick said. “They didn’t have any receivers on the field on that play. I might still be running.”

The Giants gained 226 yards and picked up 14 first downs on their first three possessions; they had 97 yards and five first downs on their next six possessions.

“Give them credit,” Scandrick said. “They had a really nice game plan, and it took us a while to adjust and start playing better. We didn’t make a lot of changes, we just started playing our defense better.

“We dug deep, but that’s the makeup of this team. That’s why we practice so hard. That’s why the coaches stay on us and put us in adverse situations every day in practice, so we can react during the game.”