Steve Smith. Mario Manningham. Derek Hagan.

It wasn't too long ago that the Giants young receivers represented huge question marks because of their minimal NFL track records, and the need to fill the big-play void left with the release of longtime wideouts Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.

Now they are the playmakers who helped spoil the grand opening of the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium. Smith and Manningham combined for 20 catches and 284 yards, with a touchdown apiece and key catches on the 56-yard game-winning field goal drive. Hagan had just one catch, but it was a big 12-yard haul on a scramble drill that dug the Giants out of a second-and-18 hole just before the final two-minute warning.

Next question? Smith and Manningham, second-round picks in 2007 and 2008, respectively, rank among the top four players in the NFL for receiving yards. After two weeks, this ranks among the NFL's biggest surprises.

Both are averaging more than 100 yards per game.

"Hopefully, we've kind of put that behind us," Manning said of the uncertainty linked to his wideouts. "I know they are sick of the questions and hearing everything. They played outstanding. But we've got a long ways to go. We've got to keep improving. We can definitely get better."

On a night the Giants defense forced four Dallas turnovers but allowed the Cowboys to rush for 251 yards, the untested receivers were the least of New York's worries. Even after starter Domenik Hixon didn't return after leaving in the first half with a knee injury.

Manningham, who made a juggling, 22-yard TD catch while sliding on his back 46 seconds before the half, also demonstrated keen awareness with an 8-yard grab off a deflection, on a third-and-4 pass from the Dallas 41. Smith followed that with a 12-yard catch to set up the winning kick.

"It's a good thing to build on," Manning said. "Getting them in a two-minute situation, you lose Hixon early, then you get Hagan in there and he stepped up, knowing what to do."

Smith, whose 16 catches in two games ties Randy Moss for the league lead, says he's hardly surprised by his impact on the Giants' 2-0 start.

"That is why we worked so hard in the offseason," he said. "That is why everybody was here in the offseason workouts in the spring and we had some good days and some tough days in training camp and preseason. We're just glad it's coming together now."

Enlarge By Tim Heitman, US Presswire Giants receivers Mario Manningham, left, and Steve Smith, right, are two of just three wideouts with more than 200 receiving yards through two weeks.