Why Nobody Should Sleep on the New York Giants as Super Bowl Contenders

Going into Sunday’s game against Green Bay, the Giants sat atop the NFC East with a 6-4 record. However, they were riding a two game losing streak that included a tough loss to the Steelers and a brow-beating by the Cincinnati Bengals. They seemed to be in the perils of their annual November swoon.

With that came the critics and non-believers, ready to declare the Giants dead in the water—no longer Super Bowl contenders.

The 38-10 shellacking of the Green Bay Packers quieted some of these skeptics, but not all. These are the so-called experts who for the past five seasons have declared the Giants’ two Super Bowl wins “flukes”, and who truly do not believe or understand what this team is capable of. That’s okay with the men in blue because they feed off of proving people wrong, especially the "experts".

Here are five reasons why you should think twice before dismissing them as Super Bowl contenders.  

1) What November Swoon?

The November swoon that the Giants seem to have perfected over the past five seasons is not only over, it was short lived with two losses.

Tom Coughlin was right when he was quoted in the New York Daily News as saying, “I’m really tired of answering all the questions about what’s wrong.”

A 2-2 November record is a good sign for the Giants and a bad sign for the rest of the NFL, especially when the two wins were over two tough NFC Teams: Dallas and Green Bay.

2) to Be the Best, You Have to Beat the Best

When facing the supposed “upper echelon” of the NFC, the Giants are 2-0, winning by a combined score of 64-16. This includes a 26-3 lambasting of the 49ers and a 38-10 romp over the Packers.

If San Francisco and Green Bay were the measuring sticks of the NFC, you cannot possibly stack up any better against them than the Giants have. It’s one thing to beat a top team; it’s another to completely dominate two of them.

If this doesn’t prove the Giants are still a force to be reckoned with, nothing does.

3) Eli

“In Eli we trust” is not some wishful thinking or mythical slogan; this is how the entire organization feels about the two-time Super Bowl MVP. There is no one they would rather have at the helm, as his track record in big games speaks for itself. He is a bona fide winner.

He declared himself an “elite” quarterback; to say he has earned this moniker would be an understatement.

Something magical happens to Eli during pressure situations (4^th quarters), big games and the playoffs, and that is exactly what real Super Bowl contenders need.

As long as they are in the race and Eli is around, you can never count the Giants out.

4) Proven Playoff Formula

If there is one thing the Giants have created over the last four seasons, it is a playoff formula that works. That formula involves two simple variables.

First, just make it to the postseason. It really does not matter what your rank; just get to the dance, and you have a chance.

They proved this in 2007, coming out of the six seed and winning four consecutive games on the road to win Super Bowl XLII. Last season, they won their division with a 9-7 record and once again steam rolled to a Super Bowl victory.

Neither of these improbable runs would have been possible if they did not accomplish the second thing: peak at the right time. The Giants have made a science out of winning championships by hitting their stride at the end of the season and peaking during their play-off run.

For this reason alone, you cannot count them out until they are mathematically eliminated.   

5) "All In"

The ultimate goal of any organization is to create a winning system that results in championships. GM Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin have done just that with two Super Bowls in four years.   

Encompassed in this system are slogans like: “Next man up” and “There are no excuses in football”. These quotes speak volumes as to how the organization goes about its business. 

There is nothing players buy into more than winning, and every Giants player has bought in. They have taken that to the next level as it is no longer a simple “buy-in”. It is what they call an “All In". 

Being “All In” means they are 100% committed to the system—which works—and the result, which is winning championships. Any team with this kind of unwavering commitment is dangerous.

In the film Moneyball, Oakland As GM Billy Beane said “None of it matters if you don’t win that last game.” The Giants not only understand this, they live it. They live it because they know what they are capable of. To count them out too early would be a colossal mistake.