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Bold second-half prediction: QB Daniel Jones doubles his number of TD passes.

The numbers don't look great for the Giants quarterback, with just eight touchdown passes through nine games. But it's not like he is playing poorly. In fact, he has been pretty solid despite playing with a injury-ravaged supporting cast. The touchdowns will come in the second half, even if it's in one fewer game. Jones will throw 16 touchdown passes in the second half of the season to finish with 24, in part because he will have a healthier cast of weapons and more help. -- Jordan Raanan

The arrival has come later than expected, but the defense is here now. The Giants harassed the Raiders into three turnovers on Sunday, including a pick-six and the Derek Carr strip-sack in the final minute en route to a 23-16 win at MetLife Stadium. These have been gutty recent performances by New York, which played once again without star running back Saquon Barkley or top receiver Sterling Shepard. Daniel Jones has steadied the ship on offense, but it's Patrick Graham's defense that's making New York relevant again: Big Blue has allowed just 13 points per game over the past three games after giving up 29.5 points on average in their first six contests. That'll play.

They've played much better the past few weeks, even if it might be too late to make a run. They've fought through a lot of injuries as they head to their bye.

Nice to see S Xavier McKinney's emergence, including two INTs and a TD on Sunday, after a rookie season largely lost to injury in 2020.

Are they good? They're better than they were a month ago. They've won two of three, beating Carolina and Las Vegas, which is much better than close losses to Washington and Atlanta. Second-year safety Xavier McKinney had his second two-interception game (with a Pick-Six) in the win over the Raiders. The Giants have this week off and extra time to prepare for a Monday night game in Tampa against the Bucs. As crazy as it seems, those two teams are playing each other for the fifth straight year, having split the last four games, decided by a total of eight points. No, it really shouldn't be close at all.