By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Associate Editor
Quarterback Eli Manning's streak of starting 82-straight games for the Giants may not be in jeopardy after all.
Manning could be under center for the Giants against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday after successfully testing his injured heel in practice on Friday, according to published reports.
Manning did regular exercises with teammates, led the team in sprints and took the majority of the snaps with the first team on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
The Giants are being cautious despite Manning's improvement.
“If the medical people think he can play, then he will play,” New York head coach Tom Coughlin told the AP. “We’ll evaluate him every day."
The former Super Bowl MVP was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis after injuring his foot in the fourth quarter of the Giants 27-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. The painful foot injury occurs when the soft connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot gets inflamed.
Manning is listed as questionable on the team's official injury report. The Giants (4-0) will be forced to start little-used back up quarterback David Carr if Manning's condition worsens.
The Giants should have little trouble beating the Raiders (1-3) regardless of who starts at quarterback. New York's top-ranked scoring defense will be matched up against Oakland's league-worst scoring offense.
Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell is off to an abysmal start. Russell, the top overall pick in the 2007 draft, has a league-low 39.8 completion percentage, and Oakland hasn’t scored a touchdown in its last eight quarters.
