PHILADELPHIA — The Giants were headed into their bye week, holding a surprising lead of 1.5 games in the NFC East. The division certainly appeared to be wide open.
Or not.
“I don’t see it wide open at all,’’ right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor told The Post at the time. “I think it’s ours. I think we just keep doing our thing, week in and week out, we’ll see what happens this week with these teams, but we’re in first place for a reason, because we earned it, and I think we’re truly starting to figure out the team we are now and how good we can be and how great we can be possibly.’’
What happened with those teams in Week 8 played out completely how the Giants wanted to see it transpire. The Cowboys blew a lead and lost to the Cardinals in overtime. The Eagles’ demise continued with a loss to the Commanders in an inter-division tussle between the two bottom-feeders. As they parted ways for a few days to catch their breath and soothe their aching muscles, the Giants (4-2-1) added to their hold on first place.
This week, they can further distance themselves from the pack. There is Sunday’s meeting with the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, otherwise known as the House of Horrors for the Giants. There is a quick turnaround for Thursday night’s rematch with the Commanders at MetLife Stadium (they tied the first meeting a month ago in Landover, Md.).
“Not to look ahead to the game on Thursday, this is a pivotal part of our season coming up with two division games that can really help us down the road,’’ guard Jon Runyan Jr. told The Post.
No, coach John Harbaugh did not print up “2-0’’ shirts to encapsulate the task at hand this week, but he did say after beating the Texans in overtime, “The two most important games of the season will be coming up after the bye, which will set the direction for the rest of the season.’’
In the past, this encounter was a litmus test for the Giants, and they usually failed it, miserably — highlighting the gap between the two franchises. Now comes quite a juxtaposition.
The Giants are atop the division and the Eagles (2-6) are at the bottom, mired in a six-game losing streak and without their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, for the remainder of the season. They take a flier on Joe Milton III in his first NFL start, and there is talk in Philly about rebuilding and regime change — all the discordant noise the Giants heard about their own situation for the past decade.
The Giants are actually favored in a building where they have not won since 2013, losers of 13 straight at the Linc. That streak has nothing to do with Harbaugh and nothing to do with J.J. McCarthy, looking to build off his impressive Giants starting debut two weeks ago in Houston. McCarthy likely will be without top running back Cam Skattebo (listed as doubtful with a strained hamstring) and, with Tyrone Tracy Jr. on injured reserve, it will be a makeshift backfield for the Giants.
Still, the Giants are finding ways to win, and that can make a team feel good about itself. And that can sometimes open the door for a whiff of complacency to enter.
“Our leaders have talked to the guys about that,’’ Harbaugh said. “We’re not really anywhere close to that yet. We’re fighting for our lives, too. We’ve got everything to gain, and we know how big this game is. We know who we’re going against. We’ll be ready.
“In this league, to even think for one second that something’s not going to be a challenge or that you might get complacent or that it might not, what would even be on your mind if you thought that? If you’re the right kind of team, it’s just like, ‘Really, you’re asking me that?’ Shame on us if we would think that way, and we’re not thinking that way.’’
The Eagles are battered with injuries and the Giants do not care.
“I mean, we got players down as well,’’ cornerback Greg Newsome II said. “We lost our starting quarterback early. We lost our best defensive player in Brian Burns early. Obviously, we got Tremaine [Edmunds]. Our job is to fight that complacency, and I think we got the right guys to do it.’’
