The New York Giants are on a miraculous four game winning streak following the 27-13 defeat of the Green Bay Packers. After going 0-6 to start the season, the Giants have improved to 4-6 and are looking to take advantage of the struggling National Football Conference East division.
The current state of the division is utter chaos, with the Eagles the only team above .500 after the first 11 weeks of the season. The Eagles do have the lead in the division, thanks to a surging offense behind Nick Foles, but they are only ahead of the Giants by a game and a half. After what seemed like an absolute hopeless year, Big Blue has playoff visions.
When asked about the improbability of going 0-6 and making the playoffs, Giant's Linebacker Jonathan Beason told the press, "Why not be the first to do it? Once you win, you know you can… We're 3-0. That's how we look at it.''
In the past three games, the Giants have gotten some help from their opponents' miscues and injuries. They roughed up an offensively anemic Green Bay team who is missing quarterback Aaron Rodgers due to a broken collarbone. The Giants also defeated the Vikings, Eagles and Raiders who all have injured quarterbacks and struggling offenses. The Giants used those issues to their advantage and found themselves winning four in a row.
"I think with the way we were playing the first half of the year, that every win matters no matter how it comes… I'll take it," said Ramapo senior Jessica Goldberg, an avid Giants fan.
Although it would be the first time that a team ever started 0-6 and managed to make the playoffs, miraculous playoff runs are a common practice for the Giants. In 2007, the Giants managed to just make the playoffs, even after losing to the Patriots in the final week of the regular season. Of course, they then went on a historic run in the playoffs, winning every game on the road and besting the undefeated New England Patriots to capture the Super Bowl.
Although the Giants have hopes to squeak into the playoff picture, they are not out of the woods yet. There are three divisional games left in the season, one of which is this upcoming Sunday against rivals the Dallas Cowboys, who are a game ahead in the standings. They will also be facing the Seattle Seahawks, a favorite for a run for the Super Bowl, and the Detroit Lions who are looking to make the playoffs as well.
"It is still going to be really hard to make the playoffs, even with how they have been playing," said Ramapo junior Kevin Castillo. "It is more likely than after being 0-6 but their schedule is really tough… I'm not hopeful."
With just six weeks to go in the regular season, the New York Giants just need a few wins and some luck to make a run into the playoffs, where all bets are off.
mgill@ramapo.edu
