After Plaxico Burress' 10-catch, 133-yard outing, Manning learned why.

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Roughly three hours before kickoff, Burress signed a contract extension that includes $11 million in guaranteed money. Burress then headed to the locker room, put on his pads and zipped onto the field for warm-ups.

"He had a lot of energy," Manning said. "He was coming off the ball well and was excited to play. I could tell he felt good and it showed."

Boy, did it.

Burress was brilliant from the opening drive. He reeled in a 30-yard pass on the game's fifth play after two Redskins defensive backs became confused in coverage. A 19-yard catch across the middle followed on the next snap. And when the Giants faced a third-and-six, Burress made a bobbling 11-yard reception.

The only thing Burress didn't do was score. That honor went to Manning, whose 1-yard bootleg featured the kind of juke that Burress would normally make.

"I asked Plaxico who broke more tackles today — me or him," a smiling Manning said. "I got one."

Burress didn't have many chances to shed defenders because of the soft coverage being played by a banged-up Redskins secondary. But just the fact Burress could run effective curls and make precise cuts on in-routes marked major progress from last season, when he battled an ankle injury.

"It just feels good to go out there without any pain," Burress said. "That right there is a blessing in itself. I could do some of the things I've been able to do in the past and make some of the sharp breaks I wasn't able to do last year."