--QB Eli Manning has steadfastly shown his support for WR Plaxico Burress, who rubbed head coach Tom Coughlin the wrong way yet again during the week. Now his all-out support appears to be wavering. "It happens," he said. "We don't like it but we're going to move on and (Domenik) Hixon started for us and made some good plays. We want Plax out there, but we aren't going to make a big deal about it. We just go about our business."

--WR Dominic Hixon only caught one pass as the starter at split end but blocked well on three occasions. Burress came in with 11:27 left in the second quarter and finished with three receptions for 15 yards and once forced the Giants into a timeout because he didn't know his position in a called formation.

--QB Eli Manning was guilty of a gaffe when he tried to call a second consecutive timeout in the fourth quarter. That is a rules violation and carries with it a five-yard penalty for "delay of game." That made the situation fourth-and-six, and Manning threw a 30-yard completion to WR Amani Toomer for the first down at the Steelers' 4-yard line.

--Rookie WLB Bryan Kehl made his first start for the injured Gerris Wilkinson (knee) and responded with four tackles, his first NFL interception and a defensed pass. "I thought Bryan played well," said head coach Tom Coughlin. The two have alternated series for most of the season but the 6-2, 237-pound Kehl had been emerging as the winner of that competition.

--TE Kevin Boss caught four passes, bringing his season total to 10, but two of them have gone for TDs and Sunday he caught the game-winner, a 2-yard flip from Manning with 3:07 remaining in the game to provide the final score. "I was so open I was afraid I'd stumble coming out of the pattern," he said.

REPORT CARD VS. STEELERS

PASSING OFFENSE: B -- QB Eli Manning was efficient, not spectacular, but he has continued to improve on a weekly basis in terms of game management and poise under pressure. "I think he is at his best late in the game when we just have to get something," offered MLB Antonio Pierce. In all, Manning completed 19 of 32 passes for 199 yards and one TD. He was neither sacked nor intercepted. Second-year WR Steve Smith emerged as the team's receiving leader when his three catches (for 45 yards) gave him 29 for 299. The offensive line protected Manning flawlessly; amazingly, the rugged Steelers defense didn't even record a QB hit. Seven Giants were recipients of Manning passes, with RB Derrick Ward getting the most, five. Nine of the Giants' 14 first downs were gained via passing as well as 199 of the team's total of 282 total net yards.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B -- It was rough going against the Pittsburgh defense. The Giants gained only 83 yards on the ground, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. It was by far their lowest production of the season. Starter Brandon Jacobs carried 18 times for 47 yards while Derrick Ward added 37 yards on 13 carries. QB Eli Manning had the other four attempts, which included two "knees" to end the game, each a minus-one entry. The blocking for the running game wasn't as crisp as it has been, but the Steelers rush defense was exceptional as DE Brett Keisel and LB James Farrior combined for 22 tackles. It is somewhat puzzling as to why the elusive Ahmad Bradshaw, who gained 398 yards (regular season and post-season) as a rookie hasn't been utilized. He did not have a carry Sunday and has just 147 yards in seven games.

PASS DEFENSE: A-minus -- Five sacks and four interceptions can ruin most passing offenses, along with nine passes defensed and four QB hits. The Giants went into the game with the goal of slowing down QB Ben Roethlisberger, especially in light of the fact that star RB Willie Parker was unavailable, and the concentration on pass defense was further aided by the one-game suspension of starting WR Santonio Holmes. SS James Butler was noteworthy in the difficulty he experienced attempting to cover Holmes' replacement, Nate Washington, who had a 65-yard TD catch and had another of 53 yards called back in the third quarter because of a holding call on OT Willie Colon. RCB Corey Webster was a "shutdown" defender for most of the game, often isolated on superstar WR Hines Ward. Webster had three of the team's nine passes defensed (Butler had two). DE Mathias Kiwanuka had three sacks for 22 yards in losses.

RUSH DEFENSE: A-minus -- The Steelers didn't have their star RB Willie Parker available and have also lost No. 1 draft pick Rashad Mendenhall for the season, but replacement Mewelde Moore had been playing well and productively. He carried 19 times for 84 yards but the rest of the Steelers rushing game totaled three carries for 11 yards. In the third quarter when the Steelers were trying to run the ball and consume chunks off the clock, the Giants' defense limited Moore to seven carries for 19 yards. MLB Antonio Pierce was instrumental in stuffing the run and finished with seven tackles, as did FS Michael Johnson. In all, the Giants piled up eight tackles-for-loss, three each by DEs Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus -- The Giants' coverage teams allowed 77 yards in four kick returns by Najeh Davenport but only 14 yards for two punt returns from Mewelde Moore. Giants' RB Ahmad Bradshaw returned three kickoffs for 76 yards and WR Domenik Hixon had three punt returns for 28 yards. Jeff Feagles punted five times for a 41.0 average (38.2 net). The Giants had 10 special teams tackles, three by veteran RB Reuben Droughns.

COACHING: A-minus -- Head coach Tom Coughlin deserves credit for dealing well with an issue he shouldn't have to think about, the continuing problems involved with WR Plaxico Burress and his apparent resistance to authority. He was kept out of the game until 11:27 remained in the second quarter because he missed a treatment for his sprained next. It is an on-going problem with the temperamental Burress, and Coughlin has handled it well. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo mixed and matched from his bag of pass-rushing techniques and befuddled a surprisingly inexperienced Steelers offensive line, getting five sacks (three by DE Mathias Kiwanuka). QB Ben Roethlisberger admitted in post-game statements that there were times when he didn't know from where to expect the rushers as the Giants would line six or seven defenders up front and then rush some or all of them. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is still calling "vanilla" plays, but perhaps the makeup of the offense warrants that. It is puzzling, however, as to why he hasn't used his only fast RB with elusive moves, Ahmad Bradshaw, more often. But winning solves most of the problems.