EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Coming off one of their best defensive efforts, the New York Giants seemingly are getting another piece back for their NFC East showdown with the Dallas Cowboys .
Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora practiced on a limited basis Wednesday after being sidelined for the month with a high ankle sprain and continuing problems with his knee.
Expect him on the field Sunday night when the Giants (8-7) face the Cowboys (8-7) for the division title and a first-round home game against either Atlanta or Detroit.
Hey, this is it, backup defensive end Dave Tollefson said. Win, you re in. Lose, you go home. So you might as well pull all the stops and get everybody rolling,
Umenyiora hurt the ankle the team has not said which one in a loss in New Orleans on Nov. 28. He has missed the last four games and many wondered whether he would be back on the field this season.
However, the nine-year veteran looked nimble running with the defensive linemen early in practice.
He s tested everything, lots of times, coach Tom Coughlin said. That s what he s been doing. He s been working his tail off. He just hasn t been able to get right.
Umenyiora did not immediately return an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. He usually talks to reporters on Fridays.
The Giants have not been hurt by Umenyiora s absence because second-year pro and recent Pro Bowl selection Jason Pierre-Paul has been outstanding starting for him at right end, twice winning NFC defensive player of the week honors.
However, Umenyiora s addition also comes at a time when fellow two-time Pro Bowl defensive end is playing his best football after a season marked by neck, groin and toe injuries.
With Umenyiora, Pierre-Paul, Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka , the Giants will finally have all the part of the third-down pass quartet they envisioned using all season. And some depth.
Pierre-Paul was forced to play more than 100 plays in the Giants 29-14 win over the rival Jets at MetLife Stadium.
That rest will help me a lot and it will get me going, said Pierre-Paul, who was selected the NFC defensive player of the week on Wednesday for the second time in three weeks. I was playing like 80 snaps a game and that is a lot. You don t really think about it, you just have to go.
Pierre-Paul also won the honor in the Giants 37-34 win over Dallas on Dec. 11. He had eight tackles, two sacks, one of which resulted in a safety, a forced fumble that led to a field goal and blocked Dan Bailey s tying field goal attempt on the final play of the game.
If the Giants do have everybody back that could make things a little tougher for Cowboys quarterback , who intends to play this weekend despite suffering a bruised right hand in 20-7 loss to Philadelphia this past weekend.
I think that Osi is a good player, so anytime they get another pass rusher it presents more of a challenge, Romo said in a conference call with New York media. We have to prepare for that. I think that group up front is an outstanding group and they have three or four guys that you really have to account for. It is going to be a great challenge for our guys up front and for me to see different things and you just have to know that going into the week. We will be prepared for it.
The Giants defense, which ranks 28th in the league, played an outstanding game against the Jets, particularly after yielding a touchdown on the opening drive. It forced three turnovers and held the Jets to 4 of 21 on third-down conversions. The only Jets touchdown in the second half came on an 11-yard drive after an Eli Manning pass was intercepted.
Safety Antrel Rolle said the Giants are willing to pay the price to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Nicked players are practicing and the tempo has picked up.
Having Umenyiora back on the field is just another example of that.
All on deck. We re all fighting, Rolle said. We re all trying to get better. It means everything to have Osi out there. I know he s probably not 100 percent, but he s fighting. He s fighting. He s fighting for himself. He s fighting for this team. He s fighting for what we have at stake.
Tackle Chris Canty said having Umenyiora and his seven sacks back just gives the defense another talented player.
It would be pretty impeccable timing, to get everyone healthy and running, Tollefson said.
NOTES: WR Hakeem Nicks did not practice because of a recurring hamstring injury. He said he would play Sunday. WR Mario Manningham , who missed the Jets game with a nagging season-long knee injury, worked on a limited basis. TE Jake Ballard , who sprained a knee against Washington on Dec. 18 and did not play last week, did some running and light cutting away from the team. He did practice. .Coughlin, who injured his left leg on Saturday when slammed into by running back , got a message from Saints coach Sean Payton, who broke his left leg when tight end Jimmy Graham slammed into him on Oct. 16 in a game at Tampa, Fla. You look like you re a better athlete than me, you didn t go down, Coughlin said Payton told him.
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