In one 60-minute contest, the New York Giants asserted themselves as the power of the NFC East, ended the season of the Dallas Cowboys and their quarterback and finished off their fourth straight victory.
Now, they must wait.
The Giants aren't playing on Halloween weekend, as they have a Week 8 bye. Typically, a Week 8 bye is a blessing, as it gives a team to recover from the brutal first half and recharge for the brutal second half of the season. In the Giants' case, though, the bye comes at as bad a time as possible.
That's not to say they'll necessarily be hurt by it, but at this point, the Giants have to be chomping at the bit to get back on the field and keep rolling through the league. After getting out to a shaky 1-2 start, they've won their last four games by an average score of 30-17.
They're as healthy as an NFL team can be through seven weeks of a season, the back page of the New York Post reads "Rest in Pieces" next to a photo of Tony Romo, and they even got a vintage 30-yard touchdown run from Brandon Jacobs on Monday night.
In an NFC that's lacked a consistent powerhouse all season long, the Giants finally appear ready to claim that title. Instead, they'll be watching football from their couches on Sunday.
Obviously, they've shown flashes of dominance over the past few weeks, and that kind of performance doesn't exactly disappear during a week off. However, given the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of the team in the first three weeks, New Yorkers will be left to worry that Mr. Hyde may rear his ugly head on Nov. 7 in Seattle.
