EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross and running back D.J. Ware are being examined and going through the protocol that players must undergo if they may have suffered a concussion.
"Both are going through the process with regards to the concussion," coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. "They actually felt pretty good at the conclusion of the game when we did see them in the locker room. I hope that [makes a difference] going through the protocol for clearance to practice and play this week."
The Giants defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 Sunday in an NFC wild-card game and will play at Green Bay this Sunday.
Ross suffered a concussion in the third quarter when he went hard after a tipped ball in the air and collided with a teammate.
The Giants need every cornerback they can get to defend against Green Bay's prolific offense.
"He'll play," teammate Justin Tuck said when asked what losing Ross might mean for the Giants' defense.
Rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara filled in for Ross in the second half and teammates praised the first-round pick for playing one of his best games of the season.
"He's gotten better each week. He did a nice job on special teams," Coughlin said of Amukamara. "Prince did a pretty good job out there and of course he got a lot of playing time after Aaron was hurt.
"He is gaining more experience each week and that is what he needs. I thought he displayed very good open-field transition yesterday, turning his hips and getting himself in position. He is physical; he will hit you."
The Giants say they were
helped by the NFL's installation of video monitors on the sideline
in treating Ross and Ware.
Giants vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes says the
team's medical staff was unsure what happened with Ware and "the
video replay provided us with evidence that a concussive event had
occurred."
Last Friday, the NFL instituted use of the monitors by a team's
medical staff only to review plays that might have caused an
injury. Barnes says "the system worked as it should have."
League spokesman Greg Aiello says only the Giants needed to use
the technology during the wild-card games.
Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.