By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Associate Editor
MANHATTAN —The Oakland Raiders were the perfect tonic for Eli Manning's injured heel.
Manning threw two touchdown passes and led the New York Giants on four straight scoring drives to start the game a in 44-7 thrashing of the Raiders at Giants Stadium on Sunday.
New York coach Tom Coughlin took full advantage of the lopsided game to pull Manning in the second quarter so his quarterback could rest his aching heel.
“At the end, it was picture perfect,” Manning told the Associated Press. “Just get in there and score, score quickly, score a lot and then rest it and make sure you don’t put more strain on it or make it more sore tomorrow. It turned out really well.”
Manning, who was 8 of 10 for 173 yards, has a case of plantar fasciitis that caused him to miss several days of practice last week.
The Giants quarterback showed no ill effects from the injury, connecting on a 30-yard touchdown pass to wideout Mario Manningham and another 9-yard score with rookie Hakeem Nicks.
The Giants running attack was led by backup tailback Ahmad Bradshaw who busted loose for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Bradshaw also caught one pass for 55 yards.
Meanwhile, the Giants defense smothered Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Russell was sacked six times and threw for just 100 yards. Oakland was held under 200 total yards of offense for the fourth time this season.
The Giants (5-0) defense will get its toughest test of the season this Sunday as they take on the New Orleans Saints (4-0) and their top-ranked offense in the Big Easy.
