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3 Reasons the Giants Are 3-1 and Alone Atop the NFC East
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- 3 Reasons the Giants Are 3-1 and Alone Atop the NFC East
Though not the apple of the analytics world's eye , the New York Giants are 3-1 and atop the NFC East.
So far the Giants have used an opportunistic defense while weaponizing special teams to the top of the division through the season's first quarter.
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Here are the three primary reasons why the Giants are 3-1 after four weeks.
Coaching
It's hard to overstate just how important John Harbaugh and his staff have been. It's no coincidence the Giants are alone in first place for the first time since 2015, since that was the last time they had an adult in the head coach's chair.
It obviously isn't just Harbaugh, since defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and the three-headed offensive brain trust of Matt Nagy, Greg Roman and Brian Callahan also deserve praise.
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But Harbaugh hired them all. Harbaugh also has raised, and continues to raise, the talent level on the roster. He and his staff have gotten through to Deonte Banks, Greg Newsome II and others who were disappointments earlier in their careers.
They've also pushed the right buttons at the end of games, especially on defense, where the Giants have won two straight on game-sealing interceptions.
Dominic Zvada and Jordan Stout
The Giants were 1-7 in one-score games in 2025, and although coaching was a major factor for that record, so too were the Giants' laughably bad specialists.
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But the Giants kicking game has improved vastly. Undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada hasn't missed a kick, going 9 for 9 on field goals, including three from 50-plus yards.
The 2025 Giants had just four made field goals from beyond 40 yards and went 1 for 3 from 50-plus yards for the whole season.
Punter Jordan Stout is helping their defense by creating better field position. A year after ranking 29th in punting average with Jamie Gillan, the Giants have had as many punts downed inside the 20-yard line (9) as have been returned, and Stout is averaging 50.6 per punt.
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Turnover Creation
Much has been made of the Giants' fumbling woes, and Jameis Winston is giving Giants fans the full gunslinger experience by throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns (3) through three games.
But those haven't hurt nearly as much due to their opportunistic defense, which is tied for second in takeaways through four weeks. Their ball-hawking defense has six interceptions and is already 67% of the way to the 2025 Giants' team total (9), led by Jevón Holland, who is tied for the NFL leading with three picks and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September.
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These turnovers has covered for the Giants' run defense, which still ranks 16th in rushing yards allowed per game (109) and 25th in yards allowed per carry (4.7), and for their pass rush, which has just three sacks in four games.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Oct 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
