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The New York Giants entered Week 7 with a 1-5 record and were staring down the barrel at a lost season even before the calendar flipped to November.
With a tough stretch upcoming, they had to defeat the Carolina Panthers at home in order to hang onto any semblance of hope. And despite some appearances that things were beginning to fall apart internally, the Giants flipped the script on Sunday.
New York didn’t just win, they dominated the Panthers for four straight quarters and ultimately walked away with a much-needed 25-3 victory.
“We’re a very resilient team,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters after the game. “You guys ask me all the time, how do I see the guys come to work, how can I gauge the mood in the building? I tell you all the time, I do it based on how they show up to work, how they meet, their intent in their actions and what they’re doing, how they practice on the field, so that’s my barometer. That’s my measuring stick right there.
“When the team comes in, they work, they prepare and they do everything necessary to have success, they work together, that’s when you know your team is moving in the right direction. I see it from our guys every week.”
Judge constantly preaches process over results but the results need to come. On Sunday, for just the second time this season, the process yielded the desired results.
“I think it was an important win for us. We’ve had some tough games and some close games, but we believe in who we are as a team, what we’re doing as a team and where we’re going. We’ve just got to keep trusting that,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “Correct things that didn’t go well today and build off the things that went well. It’s a process and we understand that, and we certainly trust and have a lot of belief in what we’re doing.”
Defensive captain Logan Ryan, unlike Judge or Jones, openly acknowledged the significance of the game. He called it an “identity game” for the entire team, but specifically the defense.
“It’s one win and it feels good because we prepared hard for it. It was kind of an identity game for us,” Ryan said. “We talk about pride and I have a lot of pride and this defense has a lot of pride and this area has a lot of pride. When people say you’re not playing with pride, that’s just inexcusable. You shouldn’t even allow that to be questioned.
“I think today, no matter what was going to happen, we wanted to outscore them personally. I was mad we didn’t beat them – it was 3-2, their offense versus our defense in points. We really wanted to outscore them. It just came out of pride and kind of the way you do it. Same plays, same defense, same X’s and O’s, not everything was magic drawn up in the dirt. It was just playing with more pride and passion and let that energy lift the team.”
Ultimately, Ryan said, it was a good day for the Giants and Giants fans alike.
“It felt great. It won’t be our last. It felt great, Marvel Day. Got a good comic book, thought that was pretty cool,” Ryan added. “So, you left with a comic book and a win, you can’t get better than that.”
Things get no easier with the hungry Kansas City Chiefs on tap for next Monday night but at least for now, the Giants can put their feet up, enjoy a win and take a breather from the constant criticism and negativity.
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