Tynes is back: For the first time since suffering a knee injury in training camp, Lawrence Tynes was in uniform last night. Giants coach Tom Coughlin decided the incumbent kicker was needed to handle kickoffs and long field goals at Philadelphia. John Carney came into the game 18 of 19 on field goals and 24 of 24 on point-after kicks, but since the 44-year-old struggles to reach the end zone on kickoffs, he's been surrendering field position in recent weeks.

Hands off Spagnuolo: The success of a defense that's won a Super Bowl and is again shutting down opponents is likely to result in job offers for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who's been on the job with the Giants for only two seasons. He already has been courted by the Washington Redskins. It's a situation defensive lineman Justin Tuck is hoping to avoid. "No, no," he said. "Stop talking about that. Don't put that in the papers. Spags is a great coordinator. Co-or-din-at-or. At least for another 10 years until I'm done."

No catches, no problem: Over the previous three games entering last night, Plaxico Burress had just nine catches for 73 yards. It was not an issue with the free-spirited wide receiver, though. He's routinely attracting double teams and getting compliments from teammates. "You can see by the statistics," said Steve Smith, who had a team-high 34 catches heading into last night. "A lot of guys are getting catches and making plays. Plax takes about two or three guys with him sometimes down the field, so that opens stuff for a lot of people." And he's not voiced a single complaint. "I don't ever see him get too upset about not getting catches," fellow receiver Amani Toomer said. "I don't see anybody on our team like that."

extra points

Mike Dougherty