"Remember when the teacher said the final exam would count for half your final grade? Those who were killing it all semester were bummed and those who were slacking were pumped. Well, the Giants after an uneven and often uninspiring regular season barely got to the playoffs, but, once there, aced test after test, finishing with a flourish.

No one will claim the Giants are anything close to a perfect team, not even after they put together a near-flawless, six-game winning streak that started with a pounding of the Jets and ended with another escape job in the Super Bowl against the Patriots. There were issues that contributed to a 7-7 record after 14 games. The Giants nailed their last challenge, but that doesn't mean everything they did beforehand is undone."