Playing For Pride? Victor Cruz Says Giants Still Eyeing Division
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Most folks in the Tri-State area would say the New York Giants have no shot at making the playoffs after an 0-5 start.
We say "most" because there's a group that won't give up just yet -- the guys in the Giants' locker room.
"It's definitely too early to say we are playing for pride," wide receiver Victor Cruz told the New York Daily News. "We're still in contention, we're still a team that can reel off a bunch of wins and get back in this thing."
Giants quarterback Eli Manning also believes his team has a fighter's chance in the wide-open NFC East. New York is in the cellar, 1 1/2 games behind the Washington Redskins and two games back of the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, tied atop the standings at 2-3.
The Giants might as well pack it up if they lose Thursday night to the Chicago Bears (3-2). It would take a miracle to dig out of an 0-6 hole, even in a weak division.
Cruz believes the team can "get in a groove" once they finally notch that first win.
"We're not completely out of this just yet," he told the Daily News. "When I look in everybody's eyes, everybody understands that this thing is not out of reach. Once we get that first win, we can get in a groove and start to reel off a couple and see where it goes from there."
It won't be easy. The Giants will be without running back David Wilson (neck) on Thursday, meaning veteran Brandon Jacobs will likely get the majority of the workload behind a struggling offensive line. Manning has been a turnover machine and New York has one of the league's worst defenses.
"I can't speak for other locker rooms or what other teams were at 0-5, but I know this team is a different team," Cruz said. "I don't sense us tanking it or people just throwing in the towel just yet. I don't think that's the way we're coached and that's not the type of character guys we have in here."
The Eagles are taking on the lowly Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon and the Redskins and Cowboys are meeting at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday night.
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