The arrow on the Giants’ caliber of play may be trending upward, but they’ve only got a one-game lead in the NFC East heading into their crucial game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
Is it an important game? Very much so and coach Tom Coughlin has made sure to remind his players of how fragile their hold on first place is at 5-5 and how they don’t want to find themselves scoreboard watching in December.
The anticipated return of cornerback Prince Amukamara and outside linebacker J.T. Thomas to the starting lineup and the continued improvement of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul ought to strengthen the defense, while Hakeem Nicks’ return adds another reliable receiving threat.