Watkins' diagnosis was the same as the Giants medical experts, meaning the first step for Pierce is to rest and see if the disk shrinks on its own.

Surgery is an option at a later date depending on how the disk responds. The timetable for Pierce remains indefinite but is in the sixweek range, making it very possible he will miss the remainder of the regular season. Pierce did not make the trip here and - unlike last week's game against the Falcons at Giants Stadium - was not on the sideline as the Giants were whipped by the Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Chase Blackburn, who had seven tackles in the Giants' 26-6 loss to the Broncos, started again in place of Pierce.

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For the second consecutive week cornerback Terrell Thomas came up with an interception. This one came in the third quarter off Kyle Orton and led to a field goal for the first Giants points. . . . Lawrence Tynes' 52-yard field goal near the end of the third quarter was his longest since coming to the Giants . It was one yard shy of matching his career long. . . . This is how far cornerback Kevin Dockery has fallen: He was a healthy scratch, as he was inactive and rookie cornerback Bruce Johnson was in uniform.

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The NFL Network accidentally aired a vulgarity yelled by Broncos coach Josh McDaniels as he chastised his players on the sideline.

Coming out of a commercial break following a series of false starts near the goal line that resulted in Denver settling for a field goal, the NFL Network showed a clip of McDaniels, who yelled at his players: "We're trying to win the (expletive) game!" The vulgarity was clearly audible to viewers, and announcer Bob Papa immediately apologized to viewers.

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Who is D.J. Ware? No, he's not a new running back for the Giants . He's Danny Ware, who has let it be known that he now wants to be called D.J. Apparently that's what his family calls him but when he went to college at Georgia the coaches started calling him Danny. Ware had a rough game, losing the ball on a fumble in the second quarter and getting knocked out of the game late in the third quarter with a concussion after a hit by cornerback Champ Bailey.

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Safety Michael Johnson left late in the second quarter with a strained groin and was not able to return. He was replaced by C.C. Brown. . . . The first play for the Giants defense was a good one, a 10-yard sack by linebacker Danny Clark, his second of the season. . . . Cornerback Corey Webster was forced out briefly in the second quarter with a bruised knee but was able to return. . . . Tight end Darcy Johnson late in the first quarter went in for Xrays of his shoulder.