The New York Giants have been involved in a lot of close games in 2020. New York’s last five games have been decided by 10 points. In those five games, New York is 2-3, and both wins have come against Washington. This is the first season in their history in which they have played five consecutive games with such a small cumulative margin. The last NFL team with five games decided by no more than 10 points was the 1987 Chicago Bears.
In addition, the Giants have also played five straight games decided by three or fewer points in a single season for the first time in their history. No NFL team has played so many consecutive close games in a single season since the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 (who lost all five by a total of 13 points).
This week the Giants host the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles. In their Week 7 matchup against the Eagles, New York was on the verge of defeating Philadelphia after taking a 21-10 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Carson Wentz would lead the Eagles on two scoring drives to get the victory 22-21 at Lincoln Financial Field. According to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, New York had his team on the ropes in that contest.
“I go back and watch our first game, and they have us against the ropes there with just a few minutes left in that game,” Pederson said during a conference call with the New York media on Wednesday. “I’m sure it’s in the back of their mind obviously, as it would be with us. Listen, it’s one of these games, too, where it’s an NFC East opponent, and it doesn’t really matter what happened the first time, the last time, or everything in between. It’s always a good football game, it’s a tough, hard-fought football game, and that’s what we expect.”
This game is another chance for New York to make their move in the NFC East. The Giants are 2-7 and are 2 1/2 games behind the 3-4-1 Eagles, so a win for New York puts them right back in the mix for a division title. A loss and their chances of winning the division are probably over.
“Obviously, it’s a big game,” Giants OG Kevin Zeitler said on Monday. “We know where we’re at; we know where the division is at. Every win in the division is a big thing.”
Giants QB Daniel Jones added: “We’re certainly aware of the situation in the division and where the division stands. I think there’s opportunities for us. You can say it’s coach speak, you can say whatever you want to say it is, but the truth is we have to take it game by game. That’s the reality of how you have to approach these situations if you want to play your best week to week.”
While their record does not indicate it, New York has played decent football at times this season, but they have to find ways to close out games, and if they can find a way to beat the Eagles on Sunday, who knows, maybe the Giants could find a way to be legitimate contenders in the NFC East.
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