If a 2-1 start is exactly what the doctor asked for, then the New York Giants potentially winning three of their first four games under John Harbaugh qualifies as a magic elixir.
Let’s not put the cart before the horse just yet, not when the NFC East-leading Giants (and isn’t that odd to hear?) still need to take down Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals (1-2) on Sunday afternoon. Harbaugh’s club is already without Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns, both of whom are out for the rest of the regular season with knee injuries, and several defensive backs were limited in practice this week.
The NFL’s schedule format means that the Cardinals and Giants typically meet only every three years, and the latter can pull off an intriguing feat by winning their first head-to-head showdown with Arizona since Sept. 17, 2023.
How long has it been since the New York Giants won consecutive games against the Arizona Cardinals?
Where were you on Nov. 23, 2008? That Sunday afternoon in Glendale marked the Giants’ second consecutive victory over the Cardinals, following a Sept. 11, 2005, win in the Meadowlands. Eli Manning and his former teammate, Kurt Warner, started both games, though the latter got the last laugh by leading Arizona to a Super Bowl XLIII appearance only months after that second loss.
Why is that relevant now? The Cardinals have taken five of their seven meetings since the Giants’ mild two-game winning streak.
Just to give you an idea of how long it’s been since that November 2008 game:
- Only four active players — the Steelers' Aaron Rodgers, the Jaguars' Calais Campbell, the Bengals' Joe Flacco, and the Falcons' Nick Folk — were on NFL rosters in 2008.
- Harbaugh was in his first season coaching the Ravens, and Flacco was his rookie quarterback. Other notable names from that team: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Ray Rice, and Haloti Ngata.
- Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, and Troy Polamalu were among the 30-plus Hall of Famers who played at least one game in 2008. That list could grow next year if the likes of Torry Holt, Adrian Peterson, and Ben Roethlisberger are elected to Canton. (And, obviously, Eli Manning should at least be a finalist for the third straight year.)
- Brett Favre quarterbacked the Jets, Jason Taylor played for the Redskins, and future “Madden” cover athlete Peyton Hillis was a rookie fullback for the Broncos.
- Current Giants starting right guard Francis Mauigoa was 3 years old.
We’re sorry that we needed to share that last fact, but we had no choice. There are players on both sides who are possibly too young to remember a time when Eli was considered an above-average starting quarterback rather than a mildly popular ESPN analyst.
Actually, we’ll give you one final bit of trivia: The 2005, 2008, and 2011 Giants all won the NFC East after defeating the Cardinals during the regular season.
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