The Giants continued to build their lead in the second half. Five minutes into the third quarter, San Francisco turned the ball over on downs at the Giants 46-yard line, but the stop came at a cost for the Giants, as defensive end Kenny Holmes suffered a game-ending injury while making the tackle on fourth down. New York subsequently moved the ball 54 yards in six plays. Barber rushed for 37 yards on the drive and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown run, increasing the Giants lead to 35–14. Later in the quarter, Collins' 46-yard completion to Toomer set up a 21-yard field goal from kicker Matt Bryant, making the score 38–14 with 4:27 left in the third quarter. However, the field goal came after Shockey dropped a potential touchdown catch in the end zone.