The team that had been unofficially crowned “best team in the NFL” weeks ago, got their first real prize of the season; that being the official playoff berth and assorted blingery that comes with being NFC East Division Champions.
The accomplishment, muted by its decidedly undistinguished nature -- it was sort of like a boxing match where the Cowboys step on a banana peel and knock themselves out; handing the game to the Steelers, and the division to the Giants -- caps off this team's unique reverse-evolution: most good teams become good, then win a Super Bowl; the Giants won a Super Bowl, then became good.
As such, the defending champions now face the challenge of staving off the complacency of cruise-control for the first time. Last season, the Jints were scrapping for a wild card playoff spot, an identity, and respect. In fact, this whole Coughlin, Eli Manning, Pierce etc. regime have always identified as underdogs who scrap their hardest with their backs against the wall.
Only this year they are the alpha-male in the league; in the immortal words of Denny Green, the Giants are who we thought they were. You wanna crown them, go ahead and crown them!
Ah, but uneasy lies the head that wears a crown; Coughlin and the Giants now have to demonstrate they can perform under the pressure of championship expectations.
More tangibly: this is a defense that lost its #1 defensive end, and and offense that lost its #1 wide receiver; Coughlin may want to win, but should he overstretch a roster that is already tapping into its depth so substantially?
The next three weeks all bring potential playoff opponents, it will be interesting to see how Big Blue approaches the sit-or-play game from this new position of power.
