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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -The New York Giants have reached a crossroads in their season after losing five of six games.

The injuries keep piling up for Detroit, which announced Friday it has lost rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew for the year because of a knee injury.

Pettigrew

Pettigrew will become the 14th Lions player to go on injured reserve this season, the highest mark in the NFL. This loss might be the most crushing considering the progress Pettigrew had made in the past four weeks as the second of the Lions’ two first-round picks.



Pettigrew caught 15 of his 30 passes in the three games preceding Thursday’s matchup with Green Bay and had proved to be a play-making threat at the tight end position. His blocking is more difficult to judge from the outside, but by most accounts he was holding his own in that area.



I’m guessing the Lions will take a close look at why they’ve had so many injuries this season, but I don’t know if Pettigrew’s will help them draw any conclusions. It looked like his knee buckled without contact during the Lions’ first drive Thursday.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -The Denver Broncos’ red zone struggles led to some red faces at the NFL Network.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -Kurt Warner went through another full practice on Friday, but the Arizona quarterback was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Tennessee.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -Tony Romo was sitting at the podium after answering questions about Dallas’ win over the Raiders when the quarterback turned to a group of media nearby with a grin on his face.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz isn’t second-guessing his decision to start Matthew Stafford.

We won’t see Gregg Williams’ game plan until Monday night, but it’s a pretty safe bet the New Orleans defensive coordinator is going to send a lot of blitzes at the New England Patriots.



That’s Williams’ style. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Saints have sent five or more rushers more often than any team in the NFL except the Jets. The Saints have sent five or more rushers on 49 percent of their defensive snaps (the Jets have blitzed on 57.9 percent of their plays).



New Orleans has had lots of success with the blitz. In those situations, they’ve held opposing quarterbacks to a league-low 53.2 completion percentage and a league-low 57.8 passer rating.



But New England’s Tom Brady isn’t like most quarterbacks. Against five or more rushers, he’s completed 65.1 percent of his passes with a 103.7 passer rating while throwing for eight touchdowns and one interception.