NFC East on the rise as Giants prepare for Eagles
Giants strong safety Antrel Rolle runs with the ball during the second half of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013 in Philadelphia. The Giants won the game 15-7. Credit: AP / Matt Rourke
Moments after Sunday's comeback win over the Falcons, Tom Coughlin addressed the Giants in their locker room.
"Just a reminder, guys, you know where we're going next weekend, huh?'' he said before flashing a huge grin, enjoying the excitement of the team, and turning into Randy "Macho Man'' Savage.
"Ohhhh yeah!''
Of course, they didn't need reminding. They're going to Philadelphia to face the first-place Eagles. And after that, they're going to Dallas to face the first-place Cowboys.
Two things make this two-game stretch significant.
The first is that the Giants have not faced division rivals on the road in back-to-back weeks since the 2000 season.
The second is that it's been a while since the Giants have been in position to make such games count. Last year's opener in Dallas was the last time the Giants played with a chance to move into at least a share of first place.
"This is a big two-game stretch for us,'' linebacker Mark Herzlich said. "Our goal is obviously to get two wins going into our bye week and set the tone in the division.''
The Eagles won the NFC East title last year, but Antrel Rolle said that crown is made of fool's gold.
"Last year is last year,'' the safety said Monday as preparations began for the big game on Sunday night. "I don't feel like there was much to really battle with last year in our division. I felt like it was a weak division last year.''
In other words, the ineptitude of the Giants and other teams in the division made the title a bit hollow.
This year, it's a different story. The Eagles and Cowboys are tied for first place at 4-1. The Giants are a game behind at 3-2 and have won three straight.
"I feel like this year, it's definitely up and rising,'' Rolle said of the NFC East. "We didn't get a lot of credit in the preseason in our division, but I think now the tables are starting to turn a little bit. Dallas is playing good, Philly is playing good right now. I think we're rising and we're stepping up to the challenges and we're playing some good football right now.''
Still, when asked if the Eagles are considered the "team to beat'' in the division because they won it last year, Rolle hesitated.
"Ummm, no,'' he said. "We're just trying to make sure that we come out on top of our division this year.''
These next two games will go a long way in sizing up the Giants' chances of that happening. Herzlich pointed out that division games are "like two-for-ones'' because one team wins and the other loses. That makes this stretch what -- a four-for-two?
By the time the Giants board a plane to leave Dallas on Oct. 19, they could be alone at the top of the standings. Or they could be three games out of first.
"After the next two weeks, we'll have played each team in the division once,'' Herzlich said. "Then we get another shot at them later and they get another shot at us later. I think regardless of the outcome of the next two games, there's still a lot of football left to play.
"But we want to get two wins.''
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
