Sterling Shepard’s annoyance after injury: breathing

Sterling Shepard went low to haul in a pass in the second quarter Sunday and while on the turf took a hit to the body. Shepard made his way off the field, and an X-ray at halftime confirmed he did not suffer a cracked rib. He did come away with a soft-tissue rib injury, though, and was feeling it Monday.

Especially when breathing.

“From time to time, deep breaths,” Shepard said, “and just like really sudden movements.”

Shepard willed his way back into the game in the second half and caught three passes for 18 yards. He nearly came up with a 26-yard walk-off touchdown in overtime, but after lunging in the end zone, he failed to hold onto Eli Manning’s pass. On the next play, Aldrick Rosas kicked a 44-yard field goal, and the Giants held on for a 30-27 victory over the Bears.

Shepard initially lost the ball in the lights but was able to recover and locate it in the air. His ailing ribs probably prevented him from fully stretching as far as he needed to make the play.

“It was tough, but I expect to come up with that,” Shepard said. “I don’t really make any excuses. I feel I got to come up with that.”

CB Janoris Jenkins said he is feeling better from a lower-leg issue earlier in the season. His play on the field recently has unquestionably improved. On the final play of the day, Bears QB Chase Daniel came his way on a deep pass for Taylor Gabriel that Jenkins batted away.

“I was glad, to be honest,’’ Jenkins said. “They looked for me to make a play and I made it.”

After a day to check the film and assess the play, coach Pat Shurmur said Odell Beckham Jr. “sort of misjudged the pace of the kick” when the receiver failed to pounce on the ball on the successful Bears onside kick near the end of regulation.

“Then he tried to do, based on what I saw, what you would do to the kick if it was closer to the sideline, bat it out of bounds,” Shurmur said. “We would have liked to have seen better blocking in the front line, which would have created more separation for the back line. They executed well and we didn’t, that’s really the gist of it.”

Rookie QB Kyle Lauletta, promoted to the backup role this past week, knows he is next in line if a move is made with Eli Manning.

“If I get an opportunity, I think I’ll be fine, and I think I’ll do a great job,” he said.