EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants battered and bruised offensive backfield might be getting a familiar face back in time to face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.Rashad Jennings, the teams leading rusher with 863 yards last season, is making significant progress with the torn ligament in his left thumb that forced him to miss last weeks 29-27 loss to the Washington Redskins.Jennings participated in several drills during Fridays practice, enough to impress coach Ben McAdoo.Rashad had a very nice day, McAdoo said. Hes progressing nicely. He got some good work in. Its still too early to tell if he can play. Were looking at things on a day-to-day basis.Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan also saw a significant change in Jennings.Hes improved from last week, so all we can do is hope for the best, Sullivan said. We have to wait and see how it all plays out.McAdoo was asked when a decision would be made about Jennings status.Its not a game-time decision, McAdoo said. More than likely game day, probably.Jennings was not available to the media after Fridays practice. He was spotted during practice running hard with the ball and catching passes out of the backfield, which was the biggest concern after he injured the thumb in the victory over New Orleans two weeks ago. It was the most active the seven-year veteran has been since injuring the thumb.He got some good work in, McAdoo said.Its essential for the Giants to get Jennings back into the mix, considering they lost veteran Shane Vereen for the season with a torn triceps. Vereen was becoming more than just a third-down back and was the teams leading rusher after three weeks with 147 yards on 31 carries (4.7 yards per carry). Jennings has 102 yards on 31 carries (3.3 yards per carry).Luckily for the Giants they have Orleans Darkwa, a third-year pro out of Tulane signed by the Giants off the Dolphins practice squad in November 2014. Darkwa got his chance to see considerable action last Sunday, when he carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards and a touchdown.Incredibly, there were thoughts Darkwa would get cut by the team in preseason. Now, a month later, he stands to be the starter if Jennings cant go Monday night.Its crazy how things happen, said the 24-year-old Darkwa. I hear it every year that Im going to get cut or that Im on the bubble. That doesnt bother me. All I can do is try harder on the field and do what I can do.Darkwa is aware that as it stands, hes No. 1 on the depth chart.It would be an unbelievable dream come true to make my first start on the big stage on `Monday Night Football, Darkwa said. I cant get too excited. I just have to play my game and be ready. I feel like Im ready to be the main back. Its what I did in college, but I know this is a different level. Im confident enough to run the ball. I just have to make sure I can get the job done.Im wishing for Rashad to have a speedy recovery, but if Im needed, Im ready.Sullivan doesnt think rookie Paul Perkins, the fifth-round draft pick from UCLA, is ready to step in. However, the Giants think highly of Perkins -- so highly that they kept him and released Andre Williams in training camp.He was not here in the spring, Sullivan said of Perkins. He missed a lot, so its just a matter of him trying to catch up. Hes had a lot to digest. We feel very confident with whomever we call upon.The way things looked Friday, it could very well be a return for Jennings, who has gained 3,281 yards and scored 20 touchdowns over his seven-year career.Game notes Six other Giants did not practice: CB Eli Apple (hamstring), OT Marshall Newhouse (calf), CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (groin), S Darian Thompson (foot), DT Robert Thomas (illness) and S Nat Berhe, who is still undergoing the leagues concussion protocol. Their status for Monday nights game will be reviewed Saturday. . DE Olivier Vernon is listed with a wrist injury, and Vernon said its something that has bothered him for a long time and is nothing more than a bee sting. ... DE Jason Pierre-Paul declared himself fit and ready to go Monday night. Its the `Monday Night Football game, so everyone is going to be watching, Pierre-Paul said. Im going to get the job done. Im focused and locked in.. 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They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. New England Patriots Jerseys . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Just about every time Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks have stepped into a ring against each other over the past four months, there have been plenty of fireworks. More often than not, the WWE Raw womens championship has changed hands.Already a leading candidate for the most intense feud within WWE, the two female superstars authored another unforgettable chapter to their rivalry during Mondays episode of Raw as Banks captured the title for the third time since July 25 -- with all three victories taking place on free TV.Less than one month after Charlotte regained the title in their violent Hell in a Cell match in Banks hometown of Boston, the roles were reversed on Monday as Banks ruined Charlottes homecoming in the city her character was named for.Banks victory by submission in their main event match at the Spectrum Center -- which featured stipulations such as no disqualification, no count out and falls count anywhere -- marked the fifth title switch between them since WWE launched its latest brand extension with a draft in July.In a storyline twist, Charlottes legendary father, Ric Flair, walked down to the ring after the match to celebrate with a victorious Banks, who dedicated the match to him before the start of the main event. Flair has been estranged from Charlotte in storyline since she fired him as her manager on May 23.The mmatch between Banks and Charlotte began earlier in the broadcast, but ended in a double count out --- allowing a conniving Charlotte to retain her title -- as the two wrestlers brawled into the crowd.dddddddddddd Raw general manager Mick Foley intervened, however, rescheduling the match for the main event with new stipulations.The final chapter of this historic rivalry deserves to end in something more than a double count out, Foley said.The resulting match lived up to the expectations for physicality that the two wrestlers had set in previous months. Banks provided violent use of a kendo stick she pulled out from under the ring. Charlotte, meanwhile, countered with a boot to the chest that dropped Banks from the ring apron and hard onto the floor, appearing to hit her head on the way down.After they brawled up the ramp and into the announcing area, Charlotte pulled off the most stunning spot of the evening when she landed a moonsault off the table and to the floor below.Moments later, with the crowd at a fever pitch as they continued to brawl into the audience, Banks executed her Banks Statement submission move in unique fashion by using the handrail in the stands for leverage, forcing Charlotte to submit. ' ' '