I am a Giants fan

I am a Giants fan. I am also a Mets and Knick fan but it is December and the Giants have already won the NFC east, the playoffs loom so the other two can wait. I believe a passionate fan must prioritize his attention and devotion and the Giants need all the help they can get.
My Giants appear to be letting an amazing season slip away. A few weeks ago they seemed a lock for the one seed in the NFC and another trip to the super bowl. No one could stop them until they shot themselves in the foot…literally. The loss of Plaxico has exposed their offense as very stoppable. Put 8 men in the box and they can not run and they do not possess the receivers to beat single coverage with any consistency. The defense has been good all season but not great and recently the linebackers and secondary have looked very average. This has caused many to predict that the Giants are doomed. Some have even stated the Giants will not win another game this year.
I must admit that I was feeling very negative during the 4th quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cowboys but as my emotions subsided I remembered how quickly fortunes can change in the NFL. Just last season the Giants were embarrassed at home in week 15 by the Redskins in a game the Giants could have secured a playoff spot. They were awful that day and that forced them to come up big in buffalo the next week to make the playoffs. They ran for almost 300 yards against the Bills and played well in the season finale against the Patriots and the rest is history. History repeats its self and maybe this year the Giants will again bounce back from an awful loss week15 to a division opponent and secure their place in the playoff picture the following game.
This week the Giants can lock up the one seed and with it a week off and home field throughout the playoffs and to be honest, anything but is a disappointment. The Giants began the season 11-1, 4-0 in the best division in the NFL and won the super bowl last year, they have to be the number one seed! A loss to the Panthers and then the Vikings and the Giants will not even have a bye. That would be an unbelievable occurrence and a collapse that will make the Mets feel empathy. But the Mets are not champions and the Giants need to display the heart that made them champions a year ago. The Panthers historically have their number and are playing their best football the last few weeks but Giants play best when their backs are against the wall.
I think my Giants will win this week. The Panthers are not the same team that beat the piss out of the Giants a few years ago in the playoffs. They do not have the overpowering front 7 that gave the Giants fits and they do not pass the ball as well either but they run the ball well, still have Steve Smith and their secondary is probably better. No one runs on the Giants and we can’t pass anyway; I would like to see a few screens to Ward and a few more looks to Boss. The Giants own Steve Smith needs to stay in the slot to maximize his effectiveness and if I see all of this I expect the Giant coaching staff to see it too.
Win this game and make Plaxico an after thought just like Shockey and Tiki, even if the latter deserves to be remembered in a better light, not to mention the likes of Strahan and Usi or even Wilson and Mitchell. The Giants are greater than the sum of their parts and would hate to see Plaxico become over valued because the Giants let the season slip away.