The Giants have turned NFL opinions about them upside down and inside out. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why they are suddenly in play and have a chance to make some good old-fashioned noise and be a legitimate contender again:
Eli Manning
It always starts with the franchise quarterback, who over the last two weeks has played at an elite level. His indefatigable preparation in a short week gave him an undeniable advantage over the Redskins' Kirk Cousins. Manning looked lost in Ben McAdoo's West Coast offense at the start of the season; now he looks as if he could operate it with his eyes closed.
Any concerns over McAdoo being a first-time play-caller have dissipated. He and Manning are two bodies, one mind. Over the past three weeks, Manning is 75-for-106 with eight touchdowns and three interceptions (one in the last two weeks, and a fluky one at that).
"There isn't any doubt that he is growing in confidence in the system and how it can be utilized," coach Tom Coughlin said.
Rueben Randle is stepping up, finally, and Victor Cruz is getting open in space out of multiple alignments.
"You could see the progression in our offense and it was just a matter of when it was going to happen," Cruz said.
Explosive wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the No. 1 draft pick, may finally be ready to show why he is made for this offense.
"It's a ton of fun to be able to be able to run all different types of routes, and catch the ball at different parts of the field, different areas of the field," Cruz said.
Tom Coughlin
Read the pulse of his team perfectly, keeping the players loose with music in practice before the critical Week 3 game with the Texans, then challenging his team to show him the will to prepare in the short week before the demolition of the Redskins.
"I thought the players focused well last week," Coughlin said. "We've got to continue that attitude about having a chip on our shoulder and having a lot to prove."
Larry Donnell
A star was born on Thursday night, with three TD catches.
The raw, 6-foot-6 tight end has changed the complexion of the offense with his basketball athleticism.
"I think when Larry Donnell started to come to fruition and catch the ball well and make the plays for us, I think that's when things kind of shifted and things went in our way a little bit," Cruz said. "So it was definitely something that we needed to happen, someone to step up and make some big plays, and Larry's done that for us."
The offensive line
If this unit had played last season the way it has played the last two weeks, Manning wouldn't have thrown 27 interceptions, John Mara wouldn't have called the offense broken and Kevin Gilbride might not have "retired." Left tackle Will Beatty is growing in confidence following his recovery from a broken leg and tenacious rookie left guard Weston Richburg could be the next Chris Snee.
One week, Rashad Jennings rushes for 176 yards, the next week Manning can film a new Football On Your Phone video while standing upright surveying the field.
The camaraderie and pride among the group is growing.
"We've played this one group together for a few weeks, and they've experienced a little bit of success a week ago, and that has done a lot for them," Coughlin said.
The defense
The pass rushers are having fun hunting, and even with Walter Thurmond III lost for the season, there is impressive playmaking depth (Trumaine McBride, Zach Bowman, Quintin Demps) in a secondary anchored by corners Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Prince Amukamara and Antrel Rolle. What a difference six takeaways can make.
"The pressure is definitely getting there," Amukamara said. "When you have guys in the quarterback's face or are just moving the quarterback around, that helps us as a secondary. When we hold our guys in good coverage it allows the defensive line to get more sacks. We definitely play hand-in-hand."
It is beginning to look as if we will have ourselves a race in the NFC East.
"For a couple of weeks we're told that we're not very good, etcetera, etcetera," Coughlin said, "and we don't believe that."
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