I returned from Mexico last night just in time to watch the amazing WESTWORLD finale, and the Giants – Steelers game, which Parris had TIVO’d for me.

WESTWORLD won, but the G-Men lost. Can’t say I was surprised, but I was disappointed. My fears were confirmed: the six game Giants win streak was more an artifact of weak opposition than it was an indication of the strength of Big Blue.

Against a strong team like Pittsburgh, New York’s weaknesses were exposed. There’s still no run game — second worst in the league, at present — and the offensive line is a turnstile. Eli gets no time to throw, they can’t open holes for the RBs, and Flowers is still holding on every other play and getting beat on the others. Injuries have not helped. Justin Pugh was a huge loss. That being said, it would help if Eli threw the ball to someone besides Odell from time to time. Victor Cruz was not targeted once.

The defense still looks stout, but injuries there hurt as well. JPP going out was very worrisome. He’s desperately needed.

It should also be said that Odell was not wrong in his postgame comments: the officiating was terrible, and very one-sided. The Steeler DBs got away with mugging ODB repeatedly, but that was far from all. The Pittsburgh O-line was holding flagrantly on several big plays from Big Ben, but was never called on it.

Honest officiating would not have made a difference, however. The Steelers would have won anyway. They were the better team yesterday.

These next four games are all tough ones. The Giants need to step it up, or they could very well lose all four.

The Giants got their sixth win in a row yesterday, which is great. Their longest win streak in years. Of course, it was against the hapless Cleveland Browns, who are racing toward an 0 -16 season and the first overall pick in next year’s draft. I’m informed that it still counts.

Odell Beckham had an amazing afternoon, catching two TDs and returning a kick for a third… though the last was called back on a penalty, pfui. And JPP had a monster game on the defensive side of the ball, the best he’s had since blowing off half his hand in a Fourth of July fireworks accident. Big Blue’s D seems to be getting better every game, and JPP is a big part of that. Victor Cruz had a nice catch as well.

On the other, the win was not nearly as convincing as it should have been, considering the quality of the opposition, and there was plenty to be concerned about as well. The Giants still have no running game to speak of, and the O-line is suspect. They don’t run block well, they don’t give Eli enough time, and Eric Flowers commits too many holding penalties.

So while I am pleased, I am still far from convinced that the G-Men are juggernauts. The Giants are now 8-3 and well positioned for a playoff run, but the real test for them lies ahead. The easy part of their schedule ended in Cleveland. Their last five games are all tough ones. The acid test will come in their rematch with the Cowboys, who they beat in the season opener. Dallas has not lost since. Rematches with the Redskins and Eagles also await them, along with games against the Steelers and Lions. Every one of those teams is formidable, and Eli and Company will need to be playing at the top of their form to beat any of them. I just hope the Giants have saved their best for last.

As for the Jets… sigh… well, they lost again. To the Patriots. What else is new?

To be fair, Gang Green played a pretty good game. If they had played that well in some of their earlier games, they might not be 3 – 8. But they didn’t, and they are. Fitz had a good game, except right at the end when it really counted.

At this point, I just don’t see the sense of starting Fitz. He’s not going to be with the team next season, and even if he does “give them the best chance to win,” winning a few more games this season is not going to make any difference. The Jets need to look to the future and start thinking about next season, and the season after. They need to see what they have in Bryce Petty. Yes, he’s young, he’s raw, he will make mistakes… but he won’t get better sitting on the bench. With rookie QBs like Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott tearing up the league, there’s no good reason for not playing Petty, who has been in the league a season longer than either. And if he’s NOT the answer, well, better to know that sooner rather than later…

The Giants won their fifth game in a row on Sunday.

It was, admittedly, not as convincing a win as I would have liked. The opponent was the woeful (this year, anyway) Chicago Bears, with the worst offense in the NFL, but even so the Giants came out sleepwalking during the first half and let the Monsters of the Midway take an early lead.

Thankfully, they woke up in the third quarter and took command, with a couple of nice touchdown drives that put them well ahead. Not far enough ahead for my comfort, mind you. Come the fourth quarter, the playcalling turned absurdly conservative. One more score would have sealed the game, but instead the G-Men played run, run, run, kick, trying to run down the clock… a rather dangerous tactic, given how much our run game sucks this season. The Bears could still have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat up to the last moment. It took a late Jay Cutler INT to nail down the win.

Landon Collins, who made the pick, looks like the real deal. A star in the making. The whole defense played well. They get better every week. Kudos to Spags, and all the guys on D, especially Snacks, Vernon, and JPP.

It was great to see Victor Cruz back as well.

So… five in a row… and a good shot at a wild card berth. Maybe even more, if the Cowboys stumble. The G-Men are the only team to beat them this year.

(The Jets avoided losing by having a bye).

I was in Arizona at Tuscon this past weekend, so I did not see the Jets game. Good thing, that. From what I heard, it was a truly abysmal performance. The only point of interest is that Bryce Petty started at QB, and did moderately well. I hope he continues to start for the rest of the year. The season is over, might as well see what we’ve got in Petty. Neither Geno nor Fitz is going to be on the team next season, I figure, and we do need a quarterback.

The Giants played Monday night, and won their fourth game in a row, a hard-fought one-point win over the Cincinnati Bengals. I did catch that one. Good game, too. Big Blue’s offense is still not the explosive juggernaut I was hoping for pre-season (Victor Cruz is badly missed, and there’s still no running game), but the defense is looking better every week. This victory belonged to the D. Let’s hope they continue to improve. And come back soon, Victor!

Tuscon was a pleasant, friendly, low-key con, by the way. They took good care of me, and I had fun. Signed a lot of books too.