Embattled Giants Boring but Victorious : Pro football: Brown’s touchdown pass to Sherrard proves decisive in 10-6 victory.

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Dull, boring, uninspired.

Not for the New York Giants, who had faced daily bashing in their hometown while dropping four consecutive games.

“You read articles about how bad we are,” Mike Sherrard said Thursday night after his 12-yard touchdown catch from Dave Brown lifted New York to a 10-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. “It feels great to win, and it builds confidence. We’ve lost every close game, so the victory feels great.”

Coach Dan Reeves, under a management microscope for two weeks since he vowed to to leave the Giants when his contract expired unless the front office changed, sounded less like a man on the way out.

“It’s very important to win a ballgame like this,” Reeves said. “You want to go into the off-season feeling better.”

Both teams are 4-9, guaranteed losing seasons. And, for much of the way, this was a plodding game befitting two teams going nowhere.

The Cardinals, however, made it thrilling at the end, driving from their 10-yard line to the New York eight in the final 1:50 before Dave Krieg misfired on four consecutive passes.

Vencie Glenn of the Giants figured in the two plays that turned back Arizona drives in the fourth quarter, intercepting Cardinal rookie Stoney Case--who took six snaps after Krieg left the game with a stinger on his left arm--in front of the goal line and running to the Giants’ five with 6:39 to play.

Then he helped break up Krieg’s final pass, aimed at Wendall Gaines in the end zone with 14 seconds remaining.

But, like almost everything else the Cardinals did, the pass was off the mark, a bit too high for the 280-pound tight end to pull down.

“All we needed was someone to make a play, and no one did,” Coach Buddy Ryan said.

The Giants did not lead until Brown capped an 83-yard drive with his 12-yard throw to Sherrard 6:48 into the third quarter. It was the only score of the second half.

Greg Davis kicked 44- and 28-yard field goals for the Cardinals, and Brad Daluiso, who failed on two other attempts, answered with a 51-yard boot--all in the second quarter.

The Giants had beaten the Cardinals, 27-21, in overtime Oct. 8, starting a cycle of overtime every other game for Arizona. This one was close, but after the Giants’ touchdown, an extra period was less likely.

From then until the end, the Giants hung on with good defense while Arizona was undone by mistakes. One was by punter Jeff Feagles, who decided to run on fourth and five from his own 30 midway through the third quarter. Phillippi Sparks dashed across the field to tackle him a yard short.

The Giants couldn’t capitalize, and Daluiso, who missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter, lined up for a 47-yard kick, which was blocked.