Are Giants the team to beat once again?
There was no squandered fourth-quarter lead this time. No glaring blunder in managing the clock. No erroneous instruction by quarterback Eli Manning to a teammate not to score a touchdown.
The New York Giants finally got out of their own way and into the win column Thursday, beating Washington 32-21 at the Meadowlands. In the topsy-turvy NFC East, that one victory qualifies the Giants for contender status.
“It was a complete team win tonight,” Odell Beckham Jr. told the league-owned NFL Network. “It was great.”
It might have fallen short of greatness, but the Giants were happy to have it after finding ways to somehow lose their first two games to the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons.
Suddenly they’re back in the thick of the race. The Cowboys are 2-0 but now are without quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant. Their current “triplets” are quarterback Brandon Weeden, running back Joseph Randle and wide receiver Terrance Williams. It’s a lineup not exactly reminiscent of Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin . They are a vulnerable division front-runner.
The Philadelphia Eagles are winless and coach Chip Kelly’s fast-break offence is running in place. Washington, coming off a win over the St. Louis Rams, was back to being Washington Thursday night.
The Giants are far from perfect. Their defence has issues, with the playing status of standout pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul still uncertain after his hand injury in a fireworks incident. When the Giants didn’t blitz Thursday, their pass rushers had great difficulty getting pressure.
But the Giants can be dangerous on offence if they put things together. Wide receiver Victor Cruz is nearing a return from a calf injury. The offensive line played well Thursday even without injured rookie left tackle Ereck Flowers. Manning has yet to throw an interception.
The Giants will spend the rest of the season lamenting the could-have-beens from their first two games. They really should be atop the division at this point, doing what they can to put everyone else further into their rear-view mirror.
They will have to settle for being back in the race, with possibilities for their season restored by avoiding an 0-3 start.
On this night, that was good enough.