EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Something changed this week in practice for New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings. The knee he sprained in that Week 5 game against Atlanta felt different than it had at any point since he injured it.

"Finally," Jennings said after practice Friday. "I've finally got a little more pop. I know I came back too soon, but I had to play, man. I got tired of watching."

Jennings sat out four games with the knee injury before returning in Week 11 against the 49ers. He rushed for 59 yards on 18 carries in that game, and for 52 yards on 19 carries in the Week 12 game against Dallas. He also caught eight passes for 68 yards in the Dallas game. But he said Friday he hadn't felt like himself until he ran in practice this week and felt like he had in September and October, when he was averaging 4.4 yards per carry and the Giants' offense was able to operate through him.

Now, Jennings said, he's focused on trying to help end a six-game losing streak and seeing how the team responds to a lost season.

"For the veterans in the room, the rest of this season is about grabbing those young guys and teaching them about how to finish a season," Jennings said. "This is where the character of people comes out, and I think you're going to see good things. I know we're capable of winning games. I've been on teams where we weren't, and we were just out there and we knew it. This isn't that kind of team."

The Giants were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with Detroit's victory on Thanksgiving, and will miss the postseason for the fifth time in the past six seasons. They need to win all five of their remaining games to avoid a second consecutive losing season.