Keith Rivers went into the Giants bye last week hoping to get fully healthy. But he came out of the week off with another injury, this one suffered away from the field.

The Giants linebacker was involved in a car accident last week in California, coach Tom Coughlin said. The coach added that Rivers was back in the tri-state area, but he spent Monday being evaluated by doctors.

“He had an accident last week,” Coughlin said. “A car accident. He’s being evaluated. He has a bruised knee. We hope that’s all it is, but he’s being looked at.”

The accident is the latest blow to a season that began with promise. Rivers, who was traded from the Bengals to the Giants in April, made seven tackles in a season-opening loss to the Cowboys, but hamstring and calf injuries led him to miss five of the next nine games. He hoped to play in the Week 10 loss in Cincinnati, but was held out due to the calf injury.

Rivers was the lone player absent from the Giants’ practice session on Monday. Two other players – LB Jacquian Williams (knee) and WR Domenik Hixon – also did not practice, although they were at the team facility.

PHILLIPS (REALLY )READY TO COME BACK
S Kenny Phillips, who has missed the last six games because of an MCL injury, worked through drills and said his knee is feeling “a whole lot better.” Phillips said he hopes to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Packers.

“I’ll definitely go (to practice) on Wednesday and throughout the week, and hopefully, I’ll feel good enough to go out there on Sunday,” he said.

Not that Phillips is guaranteeing anything. Just before the Giants’ Week 8 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Phillips had promised to return, but he found himself on the inactive list on game day.

“My intention was playing (in that game),” Phillips explained. “But right before the game, it just wasn’t . . . I didn’t feel I could help the team.”

Now, Phillips said, he believes he can, and his return would come at a good time. Backup Stevie Brown has collected five interceptions this season, but he made several critical errors in the loss to the Bengals. Brown’s failure to cover the deep zone led to Cincy WR A.J. Green’s 56-yard TD reception on the game’s opening drive.

THIS AND THAT
WR Hakeem Nicks (foot/knee) said he is no longer dealing with swelling and pronounced himself “pretty close” to 100% . . . RB Ahmad Bradshaw (neck/foot) worked through practice, and Coughlin said he “appeared to be fine today” after enduring a battery of tests early last week, including a neck examination . . . To accommodate players on Thanksgiving day, the Giants end practice at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The team will return on Friday for a lengthier session. “We just flipped days a little bit,” Coughlin said . . .