Everything has turned upside down, but don't worry.
Everything was looking good last week. The Giants were atop the NFC East for much of the season and well positioned for a run at the playoffs. They were supposed to knock off a predictable opponent and tune up on the lackluster Cards before facing a "real" game against the Redskins to avenge their first losing outing against them.
Now, with the loss to Detroit, the Giants find themselves in second place in the NFC East to the crowing Eagles, even though the Giants beat them twice this season. The Redskins, a team everyone all but crowned to be the division leader before the season started, are struggling to keep pace with the Giants, or have their roles suddenly switched with the Redskins win over the Rams?
Let's see what's coming up. We have the Eagles (8-4) at Washington (7-4), so one of those NFC East teams will end up with a loss, and later the same day it's the Giants (7-4) playing against the 3-8 Cards. The Giants play the Redskins the following week before going up against Pittsburgh, Dallas and Jacksonville. The Eagles finish their season up against Tennessee, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, while the Redskins face Dallas, Pittsburgh and Arizona.

A Giants win, and an Eagles loss equals what?
Now before you try to figure out the ramifications of which team should win which game, and what works out best for the Giants, and who you should root for as you switch channels, just forget it. Calmly sit back and relax, because it doesn't matter how it all shakes out, the Giants are in the playoffs. How do we know? Simple, for a Thanksgiving day treat for all the Giants fans, head coach Jim Fassel has proclaimed it to be so. At the press conference the day before turkey day, and much to the surprise of the reporters on hand, the coach stood on the podium and made it his opening statement. "This team is going to the playoffs. I'm not afraid to say we're going to the playoffs."
In a country that doesn't even know who it's next president is weeks after the election, it's refreshing to hear such a positive statement from the leader of a team that just dropped from first place to a tie- for- second in the standings. So, the Giants will be in the playoffs. They can make it so just by winning their last five games, and I'm not sure if that's what coach Fassel has in mind, but in doing that, the Giants would be knocking off the Redskins in their game, and they would win any tie-breaker with the Eagles, even if the birds ran the table (sorry for any turkey type references, but the holiday is still fresh in our minds). Unfortunately, none of the reporters was smart enough, or was too shocked to ask Jim Fassel if Gore or Bush would win out. Then again, who cares who the president is, the Giants are going to the playoffs.

Where the Cards are right now.
The road to the playoffs would certainly start with beating the Cards on Sunday night. The Cards are 3-8 and are coming off a 34-9 loss to the Eagles. A number of their key players have injuries, including their quarterback Jake Plummer. They made a coaching change four weeks ago, and it hasn't worked out as well for them as it has for Detroit. Dave McGinnis took over for Vince Tobin, and the Cards are 1-3 since then. Last game, quarterback Jake Plummer was sacked five times. The Eagles then beat up on Dave Brown, sacking him three times as well. Jake Plummer must be used to this kind of treatment, because it is expected that he will play against the Giants, with Dave Brown ready to come on if necessary. Brown hadn't played at all this season until last game, but he is ready to go against his former team. He didn't do too bad last week. Dave was 11-of-13 for 140 yards, and completed a 44-yard TD.

The wrong list?
They say the Giants have beaten the teams they were supposed to this year and lost to the rest. Detroit was a game that should have been theirs, and they would have been 8-4, with 5 games left and 4 against teams with losing records.
Maybe Detroit was on the wrong list. After all, Detroit this year beat the Redskins and Tampa Bay. If you were flipping channels while feasting on your turkey, you might have caught the Detroit - Patriots game on TV. The Lions won it 34-9, and didn't look too bad doing it.
Minnesota (10-2) played later on and maintained their two-game lead over Detroit in the NFC Central. By the way, the Vikings were playing an NFC East team, the Dallas Cowboys (4-8), at Texas Stadium, and they won the game 27-15. Randy Moss caught 7 passes for 144 yards and 2 TDs. The Cowboys could have had Randy Moss on their team, but passed on him in the 1998 draft. It's interesting that in four games against Dallas, Moss has 21 catches for 525 yards, averaging 25 yards per catch, and 8 touchdowns. Anyway, either the Giants are no longer a team that wins all the games they are supposed to win, or the Lions are underrated. We find out if the Lions have courage when they play the Vikings next week, we start finding out about the Giants this Sunday in Arizona.

The special teams thing.
After the loss to the Lions, Jim Fassel decided that enough was enough. He cut special teams player Bashir Levingston who made two big mistakes in that game. Levingston was called for a holding penalty that negated a 67-yard punt return by Tiki Barber and he also fumbled away a kickoff. To replace him, running back Damon Washington was moved up. As head coach Jim Fassel put it, Damon is "getting a battlefield promotion, all the way from the practice squad to playing on Sunday."
Washington rushed for 3,432 yards during his college career, making him the second all-time rusher at Colorado State, but he went undrafted. He spent some time on the Bears practice squad in 1999, and then with the Rams until the final cut at the end of training camp last summer. Washington signed on to the Giants' practice squad after that, and now gets his big chance.
The Giants need Damon to return kickoffs and cover punts as a gunner, and he gets his first start in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Where's the pass rush?
Poor special teams play on the Giants is not the only problem. The lack of a pass rush has really hurt them as well. Last week, Detroit quarterback Charlie Batch was sacked only once and he faced almost no pressure during the game. Detroit was able to hold the Giants off, even though they were going with an offensive line missing three of its starters. The Giants have to step up in this area for the stretch run. There's no better time to do so then this game on what may be Dave Brown's first start of the season. Jake Plummer is hurting bad and it will be a game day decision to see who starts against the Giants.

Giants receivers.
Ike Hilliard will miss a few games recovering from the bruised sternum and lungs he suffered in a collision during last week's game when he took a bad hit from Kurt Schulz. Luckily Ron Dixon will be back, and will be involved as a receiver in Hilliard's absence. Joe Jurevicius gets his first career start here. Thabiti Davis (quad) did not practice, so he might not be in this game.

Injuries: GIANTS: OUT: WR Ike Hilliard (sternum/lung). QUESTIONABLE: RB Joe Montgomery (thigh); LB Brandon Short (ankle). PROBABLE: WR Thabiti Davis (thigh); WR Ron Dixon (foot); G Glenn Parker (calf); G Ron Stone (rib).
ARIZONA: OUT: C Mike Gruttadauria (neck); LB Zack Walz (leg). DOUBTFUL: DE-DT Corey Sears (hip). QUESTIONABLE: QB Jake Plummer (thumb/ribs); DT Mark Smith (shoulder). PROBABLE: WR David Boston (hamstring); G Lester Holmes (knee); RB Thomas Jones (chest); G Matt Joyce (shoulder/knee); S Kwamie Lassiter (knee); CB-S Justin Lucas (knee); DE Simeon Rice (wrist); DT Mao Tosi (mouth); DE Andre Wadsworth (knees).

Notes

Cards are 22nd in total offense, 26th in rushing, 15th in passing.
Cards are 29th in total defense, 30th against the rush, 17th against the pass.

Giants are 10th in total offense, 6th in rushing, 16th in passing.
Giants are 10th in total defense, 2nd against the rush, 19th against the pass.

Giants won the last game against the Cards, 21-16 on opening day at Giants Stadium.

Cards beat the Redskins 16-15 just three weeks ago at Sun Devils Stadium.

Next Game
Dec 3, Giants at Washington, 1PM FOX

For those very organized fans.
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Last Week's review, Lions 31, Giants 21

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