"So What?" Giants Unimpressed By Place in NFC East After 19-17 Win Over Bengals

Ultimately the Giants would like to win their division, but don't expect them to celebrate just yet despite having moved a top of the NFC East after their win against the Bengals Sunday.

The Giants have done it.

They beat the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17 at Paul Brown Stadium in what was not only their 700th regular-season win in franchise history but which was also the first time in the regular-season series where the home team lost.

So what, right? After all, more importantly, the Giants are now in first place in the division for the first time in a long time, so that would certainly be cause for celebration in the Giants locker room, right?

You'd think.

"Who cares? You know, who honestly cares?" said defensive back Logan Ryan. "I mean, it's like we're in first place for a minute and then someone else plays."

Ryan has a point as the division title is far from being settled, especially if the Eagles take care of business against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. So while those on the outside might be enjoying the moment, Ryan, his teammates, and coaches are trying to put the division standings out of their minds and keep the focus where it's always been: improving one day at a time.

"Yeah, I don't think you can compare this year period to any other year," said head coach Joe Judge. "Every team's unique; every situation is independent of another one."

Now, if you want to talk about the team's improvement as an accomplishment, well, Judge will probably be happy to oblige.

"I am proud of the way our players are working. I'm proud of the improvement, they've made," he said. "I'm proud of how they come to work every day with the mindset of improving and going forward."

Judge and Ryan are right in not buying into any hype, good or bad, related to the team and its standing in the division, and with good reason.

Against a Bengals team that was thought to be reeling following the loss of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow last week, things were a little too close for comfort for the Giants, who at one point were down 10-7 when the Bengals scored ten first-half points off a franchise record-setting kickoff return for a touchdown that tied the game at seven, and then Randy Bullock's 44-yard field goal, that put the Bengals ahead temporarily and which capped off a drive set up by a fumble by tight end Evan Engram.

In looking for improvement, Judge cited how the team responded to the adversity they faced in this game, which also included the Giants losing quarterback Daniel Jones to a hamstring strain in the third quarter.

"They've responded the right way and we got the results we needed," he said. "So like I love this group of guys; they are a lot of fun to coach. They come to work every day. They're tough, physically, and mentally. They're very resilient and they've got the right mindset when they come to work every day."

They're also focused on getting ready to go 1-0 again next week against a more challenging opponent in Seattle, whom the Giants will face on the road.

"Keep doing what we’ve been doing," Engram said when asked where the Giants go from here. "We've played tough teams before. I think nothing is going to change this week. Our preparation is going to be the same. Our attention to detail is going to be the same.

"We have to find ways to improve after this game, too, so it's a stretch ahead of us. We have to worry about Seattle now and we're going to have a good week of preparation to go there and compete to try to win a game." 

Get the latest New York Giants news by joining our community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our SI Giants Country page. Mobile users click the notification bell.