Giants Sit Atop NFC East for First Time in 11 Years as Harbaugh’s Impact Takes Hold

For most of the past decade, October has arrived with the New York Giants already searching for answers.

This year, they’re looking down at the rest of the NFC East.

Following Sunday’s 36-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the Giants improved to 3-1 and moved into sole possession of first place in the division. With Philadelphia falling to 2-2 against Los Angeles, New York stands alone atop the NFC East for the first time since Week 11 of the 2015 season.

Eleven years of coaching changes, quarterback questions, losing seasons and rebuilds separate those two moments.

John Harbaugh needed four games to get them back there.

Harbaugh Has Changed the Feeling in New York

The Giants hired Harbaugh because they needed more than a new playbook. They needed stability.

After 18 seasons in Baltimore, a Super Bowl championship, six AFC North titles and 12 playoff appearances, Harbaugh arrived in New York with something the organization had struggled to establish consistently for years: a proven standard.

Four games into his tenure, that influence is already showing.

The Giants aren’t 3-1 because they’ve played perfect football. Sunday’s victory was probably the clearest example.

New York fell behind Arizona 14-3 in the first quarter. Jameis Winston threw two interceptions. The Cardinals regained the lead in the third quarter, and Arizona still had an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds.

Yet the Giants kept finding answers.

Winston overcame his mistakes to throw for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Nabers broke through with six catches for 112 yards. Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada connected on all three of his field-goal attempts, including kicks from 50 and 52 yards. (Reuters)

Then, with Arizona facing fourth-and-goal and one final opportunity, Deonte Banks jumped Jacoby Brissett’s pass and took it 98 yards the other way for a game-ending pick-six.

It wasn’t clean.

It didn’t need to be.

Harbaugh described it afterward as the type of game winning teams find a way to finish. That mentality might be the biggest difference between these Giants and many of the teams that came before them. (Yahoo Sports)

Winning Despite Losing Dart

Perhaps nothing better demonstrates Harbaugh’s early impact than how New York has responded to adversity.

The Giants lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, the type of blow that could easily derail a young team’s season.

Instead, New York has won twice since.

Winston has stepped into the starting role, and the Giants have continued to find ways to survive. New York has now needed a late defensive interception to secure victories in consecutive weeks, with Jevón Holland making the decisive play in Week 3 before Banks delivered Sunday’s dramatic finish. (New York Giants)

That’s where Harbaugh’s influence becomes difficult to ignore.

New York isn’t dependent on one player carrying the roster. Different parts of the team have been responsible for different victories.

The defense has delivered late stops. Special teams have become a legitimate strength. Young players are contributing immediately. And when something goes wrong, this team has shown an ability to move onto the next play instead of allowing one mistake to become several.

Harbaugh has even reinforced that mentality away from Sundays. Last week, he distributed “1-0” shirts throughout the organization — a simple message designed to keep the Giants focused on winning the week directly in front of them rather than looking too far ahead. (Yahoo Sports)

So far, it’s working.

MetLife Has Become an Advantage Again

Another early change has come at home.

The Giants are 3-0 at MetLife Stadium, their first 3-0 home start since 2008. Harbaugh is only the sixth head coach in franchise history to win his first three home games. (New York Giants)

That matters for an organization trying to reconnect with its identity.

New York opened the Harbaugh era by beating Dallas 28-20. Two more home victories have followed, and Sunday’s win came while the franchise celebrated the 40th anniversary of its 1986 Super Bowl championship team.

There is still an enormous amount of football left to play.

The Eagles aren’t going away. Dallas remains in the picture. New York has imperfections, and losing Dart significantly changes what this offense can become over the course of a full season.

Harbaugh understands that better than anyone.

When asked about taking first place, he wasn’t interested in treating four games like an accomplishment. His message was about the opportunity New York has created for itself — get the lead, then extend it.

That’s the mentality of a coach who has spent most of his career expecting to play meaningful football in December and January.

The Giants haven’t been able to say that often enough over the past decade.

For the first time in 11 years, however, they’re alone in first place.

And only four games into the John Harbaugh era, it no longer feels accidental.