Cardinals surprised by Giants’ passing game

Maybe the MVP talk should shift from Kurt Warner, among others, and more toward Eli Manning.

The Giants quarterback was near perfect Sunday. He hit 26 of his 33 passes for 240 yards; his passer rating was 127.3.

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SLIDESHOW: Cardinals vs. Giants

Some of the Cardinals indicated that the Giants passed the ball more than they expected.

From his perspective, “We knew coming in that we were going to have to run the ball,” Manning said. “They’re good at stopping the run.

“We knew that would be their main focus, to not let us get started with the run game.”

Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett figured this, too.

“I guess they figured they couldn’t run against us, so they dinked and dunked down the field. They did what they did to win.”

In addition, “He didn’t hold the ball as long as we thought he would,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “They ran a lot of quick routes, and he got the ball out of his hands.

“They schemed us well. He didn’t really hold the ball. He didn’t go down the field. He made his passes short, quick and sweet. He was perfect today.”

Dansby got a finger on one pass, and, “It still went right to the receiver. He was on fire today.”

J.J. KEEPS IT UP

J.J. Arrington, who has been a force since he joined the active roster two months ago, served notice that he will be a threat from here on out on kickoff returns. Arrington returned eight kicks for an average of 29.0 yards, including a 55-yarder.

RARE FREE KICK

Fans got to see a most unusual play: a fair-catch free kick.

With just seconds left in the first half, the Cardinals’ coaches instructed Steve Breaston to call a fair catch near midfield on a Giants punt.

That allowed the Cardinals to try a free kick. With no defense allowed to rush, Neil Rackers tried a 68-yard kick, which would have been the longest in NFL history.

He could run up to the ball as though it were a kickoff, only he had a holder on the play and the kick would count for a field goal.

But Rackers’ line drive never had a chance; he kicked it well short and left.

STAT NOTES

• Larry Fitzgerald passed the 400-reception mark for his career on Sunday. He became the youngest player ever to do so (25 years, 119 days), breaking the mark of Randy Moss (25, 305 days).

Fitzgerald got to 400 in 71 games, faster than anyone in history except teammate Anquan Boldin (67 games).

• Tim Hightower scored his eighth and ninth rushing touchdowns, tying the rookie franchise record set by Ron Moore in 1993.

INJURY UPDATE

Safety Adrian Wilson may have suffered a sprained shoulder, coach Ken Whisenhunt said. Wilson indicated that he should be OK.

Cornerback Rod Hood, who has sore ribs and who missed practice last week to attend a funeral, was on the field for only one play. Eric Green started for him.

The Giants were without running back Brandon Jacobs, who had a sore knee. In addition, they lost top receiver Plaxico Burress early with a hamstring injury.

RUNNING GAME WOES

The Cardinals tried to get a running game going early, but didn’t succeed.

They rushed 15 times for a season-low 23 yards.

Tim Hightower almost broke one for a long gain, but got his feet tangled with teammate Deuce Lutui.

“I have to pick my feet up,” Hightower said. “I got to get better at that.”