If you had told me back in September that I’d be watching meaningful Giants football in December, I would have called you a loon.  If you told me that the Big Blue team I’d be cheering for last Sunday would be led by Colt McCoy and Alfred Morris, I probably would have alerted a mental health professional.  But here we are as Giants fans, after Week 13 of the NFL season, celebrating firm control of first place in the NFC East after a journeyman quarterback who hadn’t won a game since 2014 authored an epic victory over a solid Seahawks squad.

Football’s a funny game, ain’t it?

With their 17-12 win over Seattle on Sunday, the Giants took a big step toward securing a playoff berth this season, which is no small feat considering
that New York opened the season with five straight losses. And even though a 5-7 record might not seem this impressive, in a dreadful division
like the NFC East, it means the Giants now have a nearly 70% chance of making the postseason, something that would have seemed unfathomable at the
start of the year.

Obviously, it hasn’t exactly been “pretty,” what with the winless stretch to start the year and the anemic offense—even under starting QB Daniel Jones.  But the thing that’s most exciting about seasons like the one the Giants are experiencing is just the sheer lunacy of it all.  Win or lose, just about every game the team has played this year has been competitive, something that is largely the result of a defensive unit that has played beyond everyone’s expectation.

But it’s quirks like that, or seeing formerly unheralded offensive players like McCoy, Morris and Wayne Gallman carve out roles for themselves, that gives this season a particularly fun feel.

Could it all go wrong?  It could—and with defensive stalwart Blake Martinez dealing with a potentially serious back injury—it very well might.  The Giants magic could run out next week against the Cardinals and they might fall short of a playoff berth.  Heck, even if they make the postseason, nobody–including myself—honestly thinks they can make a run.

But none of that really matters; not in the long run.  It’s Dec. 7, the Giants are in first place, and for the first time since the Rangers were unceremoniously
swept during the NHL restart, I’ve got an actual rooting interest in professional sports.

Considering the type of year this has been, I think that’s just about all I can ask for.

Follow Mike on Twitter – @LiveMike_Sports