The first 13 weeks of the season couldn't have gone better for the defending Super Bowl champs. They were 11-1, dominating just about every team they faced, and the clear-cut favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year.
And then Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg. And Brandon Jacobs was hobbled with an injury. And the league's best offensive line suddenly forgot how to do their jobs and Eli Manning spent the last two games -- both losses -- pulling himself off the turf.
Still, at 11-3, New York has already clinched the NFC East, and are perfectly positioned to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the conference, which means a first-round bye and homefield advantage. But there's the little issue of Sunday night's opponent, the hottest team in football: the Carolina Panthers.
If the Panthers win, they'll also be the the NFC's top seed. Which isn't necessarily a big deal -- the Giants would still get the first week of the postseason off, even if it meant they eventually had to travel. But it could get worse. According to FanHouse's J.J. Cooper, "If the Giants lose this weekend to the Panthers and the Vikings beat the Falcons, next week's Giants-Vikings game will be for the No. 2 seed and the resulting bye."
With injuries mounting, the extra week off could be vitally important to New York's chances of making a deep postseason run. Playing on the road is less of a concern -- they proved quite capable of winning away from New Jersey during last season's march to the Super Bowl -- but having to do it without key personnel is more problematic.
Obviously, none of this will matter is the Giants can beat the Panthers tomorrow night, but a game that once looked eminently winnable now looks much less so. Dropping two games in a row will do that.
