For a month and a half, the Giants’ grip on the NFC East came with an asterisk. They were winning, sure, but the question hanging over everything was simple: could they really keep this up without Jaxson Dart?
That question looks a lot less important now. J.J.
McCarthy’s first start gave New York exactly what it had been missing - a passing game with life in it. The offense has more punch, more confidence, and more room to breathe, even if it’s still not a finished product.
In a division this shaky, that might be all the Giants need.
McCarthy wasted little time making his presence felt against an elite Houston Texans defense. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards and wasn’t shy about testing the field vertically, connecting on seven of 12 throws that traveled more than 10 yards. Compared to the stop-start chaos New York lived with under Jameis Winston, this was clean football with real upside.
The Giants still need the run game to hold up its end, especially after what it showed late in the Week 7 win. If that part of the offense keeps delivering, Matt Nagy’s unit has a chance to finish in the top third of the league. That kind of production might be enough to hang onto the division.
And that’s the other piece of this: the NFC East isn’t exactly forcing New York to race. The Commanders got a little relief coming out of their bye, but they also seem close to a midseason head coach firing. With Terry McLaurin injured, Washington no longer has a true WR1, and Jayden Daniels may not have enough help to drag them back to the playoffs.
Dallas and Philadelphia haven’t exactly seized the moment, either. The Cowboys’ defense has been one of the league’s worst, while the Eagles’ offense has fallen apart since losing Jalen Hurts for the season. Neither team did much to change the conversation in their Monday Night Football matchup.
After the Cowboys’ win over the Eagles, the Giants sit a game and a half ahead of Dallas. That’s not a massive cushion, but in a division like this, it might be plenty.
The Giants don’t need to be perfect. They just need to be better than the rest of the NFC East - and right now, that’s looking more than possible.
In Other News...
Devils Fans Are Still Waiting For Hellebuyck To Address One Thing
Connor Hellebuycks move to New Jersey has already shifted the spotlight, but the story behind the trade still lingers. According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Winnipeg Jets made the deal in part to avoid the possibility of a public feud, with concern that Hellebuyck might have spoken to the media after a required physical. The preference in Winnipeg was to keep the matter contained and find closure inside the room instead of letting it spill into a larger dispute.
Now with Hellebuyck on the Devils and expected to debut soon, the attention is turning to how this all gets addressed, especially with a return to Winnipeg on the horizon. For New Jersey, the immediate focus is on what he brings on the ice, but the off-ice backdrop gives his arrival a little extra weight. The one thing Devils fans are still waiting on is how, or if, Hellebuyck handles the part of this trade that Winnipeg clearly wanted to keep private. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Fans Finally Got Their First Look At A Stunning New Era
The Devils latest move finally became visible on the ice when Connor Hellebuyck took part in his first practice with New Jersey after arriving from the Winnipeg Jets in a multi-asset trade. For a fan base that has been waiting to see how this reshaped roster will look in real time, getting their first extended glance at a new No. 1-level presence in camp was the latest sign that the organization is moving into a different phase.
Around the league, the goaltending and injury picture remains unsettled, with Logan Thompson and Jakob Chychrun leaving Capitals practice early and Thompson still working back from a lower-body injury. Elsewhere, Taylor Hall was back on the ice with the Hurricanes after his own lower-body issue, while Alexander Nikishin has yet to rejoin Carolina after signing his one-year deal, a reminder that even as one major addition settles in, other teams are still sorting out their own lineup questions. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Just Saw How Fast Colorado Can Suddenly Look Vulnerable
The Avalanches latest wobble was a reminder that even one of the NHLs most dangerous teams can look shaky in a hurry. Colorado was beaten 6-2 by Nashville, and the breakdowns were easy to spot, especially on special teams, where the Predators cashed in on four power-play chances out of seven. For a Devils team that has to keep an eye on the bigger picture in the East, it was the kind of result that shows how quickly a contender can lose its footing when the details slip.
Scott Wedgewood did not give Colorado the kind of steadiness it needed, and the broader issue has been the same one following the Avalanche lately: the defense has not held up well enough, and the overall effort has come and gone. That inconsistency has left Colorado searching for more urgency and a way to stop the slide before it starts to affect the tone of the season. [Read more 🡒]