With defensive end Michael Strahan in retirement and sack-master Osi Umenyiora out for the season, how could the Giants not be worse in 2008?

With seven weeks to go, the results say the Giants are better.

The defense, which led the NFL in sacks last season, is third in the league in sacks and is on pace to duplicate last year's total of 53 quarterback takedowns. Fourth-year defensive end Justin Tuck, who burst onto the scene last season, is even better this year and has more than replaced Strahan. He has 81/2 sacks, just one-half shy of Strahan's total last year. Mathias Kiwanuka, who replaced Umenyiora, and defensive tackle Fred Robbins, have picked up their games from last year and have combined for 11 sacks.

Plus, the Giants' secondary play is better than last year. New York is on pace for 21 interceptions, six better than last year. Fourth-year cornerback Corey Webster, who was benched last year and didn't re-emerge as a starter until the playoffs, is having a big year and is set to become rich. (His contract is up.) The other corner, Aaron Ross, is better in his second NFL season.

And the defense is getting more help from the offense than last season. The Giants are fourth in yards, second in points and first in rushing. Backs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw each are averaging better than 5 yards a carry. New York is averaging 168.9 rushing yards a game, which would be the third-highest total this decade (behind only the 2001 Steelers and 2006 Falcons).

With the run game going so great, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has gone five straight games without passing for 200 yards or more, which ties his career-long stretch. But Manning has 14 touchdown passes, six interceptions and an 88.8 passer rating. Last year his numbers were 23, 20 and 73.9. The Giants' passing game is arguably more diverse, because second-year receiver Steve Smith is better than last year, when he was hurt much of the season.

Can the Giants keep up this great pace? We find out starting today, when they play host to Baltimore. The rest of New York's schedule is tough. After today they play at Arizona, at Washington, Philadelphia, at Dallas, Carolina and at Minnesota.

***

Path to 16-0?

Tennessee faces a big hurdle this week against Jacksonville, a team that seems to play up or down to the level of its competition. If the Titans win today and improve to 10-0, they have a chance to keep streaking. Next up is the Jets at home, followed by a Thanksgiving Day game at winless Detroit. After that it's Cleveland at home and at Houston. Wins in those games would bring them to 14-0. The Titans' last two games are at home against Pittsburgh and at Indianapolis.

If they're 14-0, they will have home-field advantage clinched for the playoffs. That would bring about the big debate over how much to play the starters in the final two games.

***

Cowboy woes

The Dallas run defense is an indication that the Cowboys are playing like a team cracking under the pressure of the heat and expectations surrounding the team. The Cowboys are not sticking to their assignments in the run front. In their previous three games Dallas has yielded 439 rushing yards on 90 attempts, including 190 to St. Louis and 200 to the Giants. In the first three weeks, the Cowboys allowed an average of 84 rushing yards.

The Cowboys have given up 11 run plays of 10 yards or more in their last three games. Three of those have been touchdown runs.

"The defense, I thought, was going to be better than they were," said NBC's John Madden in a conference call this week. "I thought the whole team would be better and I thought they'd be sitting here with the Cowboys maybe undefeated, maybe one loss. I didn't think they'd be in this situation."

***

Marvin slumps

Future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison looks like he's nearing the end of the line in Indianapolis. Harrison is fourth on the team in catches with 30 for 357 yards. That's not too shabby for a 36-year-old. But while Harrison returned this year in great shape after missing 11 games to a knee injury last year, he just does not look like he can go get passes like he used to. He missed a couple catchable balls last week against Pittsburgh. Maybe Harrison will be willing to take a big pay cut to stick around another year in Indy. But it would not be a surprise if he were cut after this season. He's expected to count $13.4 million against the cap in 2009.

***

Raiders follies

We're trying to give the documentation of Raiders dysfunction a rest, but each week events in Oakland prove too hard to ignore.

This week Raiders receiver Javon Walker was declared out for the season due to an ankle injury that requires surgery. So much for the $12 million the Raiders spent on Walker this year. The move came eight days after the Raiders cut cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who cost the team $8 million for eight games.

The Walker move seemed ill-fated from the start. Former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was critical of his conditioning in minicamps. Then in June, Walker was beaten and robbed in Las Vegas after a night of partying. In August, Kiffin confirmed reports that Walker had discussed retirement with owner Al Davis and offered to give back his bonus, only to be talked out of it. In the end, Walker produced 15 catches in eight games. Walker is due to receive a $5 million roster bonus and a $4 million salary next year. Expect him to be cut.

***

Onside kicks

*Kansas City coach Herm Edwards had extra motivation to go for the two-point conversion at the end of the game against San Diego last week instead of kicking the extra point and forcing overtime. Normally, that's not a good percentage play. The two-point conversion success rate this year is 41 percent. The previous two years it was 50 percent. But the Chiefs' defense was depleted by the end of the game. Two K.C. starters were inactive due to injuries and five others were forced out of the game due to injury by the end of the fourth quarter. So Edwards went for the win, and the Chargers stopped the two-point try (thanks to a hold on tight end Tony Gonzalez in the end zone that went uncalled).

*The Falcons gave up 47 sacks last season but have allowed just 12 so far this year, even though the only high-profile addition to the line was rookie Sam Baker, who has been out the past several weeks. Atlanta is on pace to give up 21 sacks.

*Carolina's Julius Peppers had three sacks against hapless Oakland last week. He has seven for the season and leads the NFL with four forced fumbles.

*The Eagles are 1-10 in their last 11 games that have been decided by six points or fewer. They're 7-19 in their last 26 decided by six points or fewer.

*Kickers are making field goals at an 85 percent rate this year. Last year the league average was 82.8 percent. The year before it was 81.4 percent.

*Adrian Peterson was Earl Campbell-like in his dominance over the Packers last week. His 29-yard TD run won it, and he has four straight 100-yard games. This week he faces Tampa Bay, which has allowed only one 100-yard rusher this year.

*In seven games against Dallas, Santana Moss has 41 catches for 747 yards and four TDs. Unfortunately for Moss, Roy Williams won't be playing deep safety for the Cowboys today.

*The Cardinals have won seven straight at home, the longest streak for the franchise since . . . 1925.

e-mail: mgaughan@buffnews.com