"I've made hundreds of those catches," Mason said. "A situation like that where I have the opportunity to draw the game to three points, I have to make it, somehow, some way. If you want to be great in this game, you have to make those catches all the time. There's no excuse for not making it that one time."
Mason gingerly left the field but later returned in the fourth quarter. He finished with a game-high 82 yards on seven receptions.
His status was a game-time decision. In addition to the shoulder injury, team officials said he also battled stomach sickness Saturday night.
McGahee hobbled
A week after rushing for a season-best 112 yards in Houston, Willis McGahee managed just 18 on nine carries yesterday. He also limped off the field with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, after a one-yard carry, and did not return. Afterward, a Ravens spokesman said McGahee had "tweaked" his right ankle (the same one that kept him out two weeks ago in Cleveland), but was not kept out of the game for that reason.
"He was ready to go," said Ray Rice, who along with Le'Ron McClain split duties the rest of the game. "We just got into the two-minute mode after that. You know how it is with us, ready for any situation."
Combined, the three gained just 47 yards on 19 carries; last week, they gained 148 on 36 carries.
Rolle's rough day
In his second game back after neck surgery, cornerback Samari Rolle took a lot of punishment, from the Giants' backs, from the officials and from the replay system. Rolle and the rest of the secondary was often caught up in the stampede of the New York running game, which spread the Ravens' defense out and went after it on the perimeters.
Rolle also was called for a pass-interference in the end zone against Plaxico Burress late in the second quarter, a call that moved the Giants from the Ravens' 7 to the 1. The Giants scored a touchdown three plays later to move ahead 20-0.
Then, in the third quarter, with the Ravens down 20-10, Rolle appeared to have intercepted an Eli Manning pass at his own 40, scooping a low ball off Steve Smith's hands. The Giants challenged, and after reviewing it, referee Ron Winter ruled that the ball had hit the ground after Rolle got his hands on it and was incomplete. The Giants got to punt instead of turning it over, and on the ensuing Ravens possession, Ross ran his interception back for a touchdown.
