NFC East Leaders on Quite a Run

The New York Giants found the perfect way to keep the ball out of Jake Plummer’s hot hands: Give the ball to Charles Way.

Way had 114 of the Giants’ 201 rushing yards and quarterback Danny Kanell provided some balance to their attack with 182 yards and two touchdown passing in a 19-10 victory over Arizona on Sunday.

“Everybody wants to get their hands on the ball and do something with it. The important thing is we won the game,” said Way, who started the season as a blocking fullback. “When the running game is going well, all Danny has to do is make a couple of big plays each week, and that’s what he did.”

The Giants (7-4), who stayed in first place in the NFC East with the victory, throttled the Cardinal running game for the second time this season. But Plummer was spectacular in defeat, keeping the Cardinals (2-9) close until Jason Sehorn’s interception set up Brad Daluiso’s clinching 34-yard field goal with 4:49 left.

Plummer completed 22 of 33 passes for 388 yards, with Frank Sanders getting nine receptions for 188 yards and Rob Moore eight for 139. But the Giants sacked Plummer eight times, three by Michael Strahan.

“If I had thrown for 800 yards, it wouldn’t matter because the interception meant that it was not the result we wanted,” Plummer said. “We would have scored if I hadn’t thrown it so poorly. It was encouraging that we got the ball to Rob and Frank, but there’s no Super Bowl for moral victories.”

The Cardinals trailed, 16-10, after an 80-yard drive by the Giants consumed 8 minutes 55 seconds. A 31-yard pass to Moore, who didn’t play the last few minutes because of a sprained knee, put Arizona on the 38. But a sack and Sehorn’s 41-yard return of the interception led to the final field goal.