Just a few days ago, the Giants’ receiving corps appeared to be getting healthier. But today, the team announced that Steve Smith will miss the rest of the season with an articular-cartilage injury to his left knee. The Giants initially thought Smith had injured his hamstring after being awkwardly tackled from behind against the Vikings in Detroit on Monday night (yep, still feels weird to type that). After undergoing an MRI yesterday, however, Smith will be placed on injured reserve, and will undergo surgery. This seems like a good place to mention that Mario Manningham, who sustained a hip-flexor injury on Monday, said he intends to play against the Eagles on Sunday — Tom Coughlin said Manningham would “hopefully” return to practice tomorrow — while Hakeem Nicks blessedly reported no setbacks after returning Monday from an injury of his own. [NYT, ESPN New York]