Giants' win over Eagles wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be for NFC East's team to beat

There's nothing quite like breaking a long streak of futility. Sometimes it's a world championship drought, and sometimes it's as simple as a 13-year run of failure in your opponent's house.

The New York Giants won on Sunday in Philadelphia for the first time since before "Frozen" hit movie theaters. And somehow, despite injuries up and down the roster, Big Blue is now firmly in charge of the NFC East.

The Giants' resurgence is coinciding with the career rebirth of J.J. McCarthy, who shook off an apparent hip injury to lead New York to a 19-11 win. It wasn't pretty, and this isn't a graceful resurgence — less "bird of prey taking flight" and more "baby deer getting to its feet" — but when you're a member of the NFC East, you can limp your way to a division title.

McCarthy could follow in the footsteps of Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith, all of whom rejuvenated their careers with other teams than the ones that drafted them. But it's clear McCarthy — who was 12-of-19 passing for 127 yards — is finding more room to develop in New York than he did in Minnesota.

For a moment during the game, the Giants looked as snakebit as any franchise in the league. McCarthy looked like he suffered a severe hip injury , collapsing to the ground in pain after taking a vicious hit:

But he returned just two series later, during which Jameis Winston led New York to its only touchdown of the afternoon. Giants head coach John Harbaugh said he and his staff considered leaving Winston in for the rest of the game, but ultimately decided to go back to their starter.

"Trainers and the docs said he was good, and he said he was ready to go," Harbaugh said. "With that, we decided to put him back out there."

Behind McCarthy, the Giants' running back room remains a work in progress. Cam Skattebo missed the game with a hamstring injury; Devin Singletary got more carries Sunday (21) than he had all season to date (18), and Gregory Desrosiers jumped up from the practice squad to carry the ball three times for 20 yards. Those numbers would seem to suggest a possibility, perhaps even a mandate, for New York to make a deadline deal over the next 48 hours.

New York maintains a lead over Dallas, including a Week 1 victory, with both Philadelphia and Washington floundering. The temptation is surely there to buff up the Giants' roster via trade — perhaps through a running back like Jonathan Taylor — but Harbaugh has stressed that the Giants aren't in the market for a quick fix.

"It's got to make sense, short-term and long-term. We're not just going to go for a short-term fix at an exorbitant cost," Harbaugh said. "Usually, when you do that sort of thing, it doesn't work out for you. You end up paying a hefty price, and you don't get the return on it."

Harbaugh noted that the Giants are "making a lot of calls," but emphasized that he didn't think there was some franchise savior sitting around out there ready to complete the Giants' roster.

"I never think that you're one step away or one player away. To me, it's always just a total momentum kind of a thing anyway," he said. "But if the right opportunity comes, and there's a deal that makes sense for us, we'll do it."

Four days from now, the Giants will face Washington at home, and will follow that up with two against the AFC South's Jaguars and Colts. The Giants' remaining schedule ranks right in the middle of the league, per Tankathon , with the rest of the division clustered around them. That means the Giants won't be able to take advantage of any schedule breaks, and neither will the rest of the NFC.

Beyond that, well … the playoffs are murky and mysterious. There's not anything that New York does particularly well on offense, unsurprising given the quarterback inconsistency. The Giants' defense ranks ninth in the league in yards allowed, not spectacular but enough to keep New York in almost every game remaining on its schedule.

New York vanquished some Philly ghosts on Sunday, and McCarthy continues to gain valuable experience and playing time. The Giants are on track to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season. Sure, they're not burning up that track, and they're making pit stops almost every week to change quarterbacks and running backs, but as long as they're the first one across the line, who really cares what they look like when they do?