It wasn’t much to look at, and it was against a team every bit as bad as they are, but the simple relief of not losing was evident for the Giants last night, after an ugly 23-7 win over the Vikings.
It was, in short, a break they needed.
“Do I have to describe that?” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said, via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. “We needed it all along. The guys have really been great. . . .
“I feel good for our guys. I’m happy for our coaches, I’m happy for our players, I’m happy for our owners that we won.”
It was also a relief for their fans, who have watched some bad football, and continued to. The Giants were fortunate to have gotten away with one, because they still can’t run the ball (2.0 yards per carry), their passing game hasn’t clicked yet (a Rueben Randle fumble, and plenty of big play near-misses) and they still give up too many big plays in special teams (their third punt return touchdown allowed in seven games).
“I was definitely ecstatic,” safety Antrel Rolle said. “I think the team, overall, we played a great game.”
It’s a good win,” said Pierre-Paul. “We’re gonna build on this, and hopefully everybody can stick together and continue to practice well and let’s get on a roll.”
While it’s one thing to mix it up, the Giants looked far from great, and certainly not like a team ready to roll far.