The Sports Xchange

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.Y. — Although every season starts a new chapter, the New York Giants’ Week 3 home matchup against the Washington Redskins has a rather familiar feel to it.

That’s because in 2007, the Giants dropped two straight games, a 45-35 road loss against the Cowboys in Week 1 and then a 35-13 loss at home to the Packers in Week 2.

They were well on their way to a third loss against Washington until they got that one little spark that launched a six-game winning streak that became part of a Super Bowl winning season.

While no one is ready to compare the 2015 Giants with the 2007 champions, head coach Tom Coughlin is hoping that somehow, some way history repeats itself.

“I do, to be honest with you,” Coughlin said when asked if he looked back at that moment in his tenure for inspiration to share with the 2015 team. “If it’s positive, then I’m willing to go there. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but it is something that we’re calculating, let’s put it that way.”

To quarterback Eli Manning, however, it is all about the present and all about getting that elusive first win of the season to help take some of the pressure off the players.

However, even Manning acknowledged that sometimes all it takes is for Lady Luck to smile on a team that is fighting for respectability.

“I think a win or a certain drive, just something to give the team some confidence, can make a big difference,” he said.

“It’s something to be excited about, so we’ve got to go out there and put ourselves in situations to win in the fourth quarter like we’ve been doing, but now we’ve just got to do the job and finish the job that we started.”

Besides avoiding a 0-3 start, a win against Washington would even the Giants’ 2015 division record at 1-1, which would obviously be a significant improvement over an 0-2 start in a division that appears to be up for grabs this year.

“(A win) is everything,” said linebacker Jon Beason. “You don’t want to talk about the past, but if you win the first one, you’re up really two games, because you win the head-to-head battle and obviously they lost and you won.

“To make it up, it’s really two games to get back into the race. The division is in a little of turmoil right now with the injuries in Dallas, us being 0-2, the Eagles being 0-2, so it’s up for grabs. We know that it’s a big game, we have to have this one, it’s a must-win.”

The Giants have come close in each of the first two weeks, only to fall apart in the fourth quarter. To avoid another letdown, Manning said it’s important that the team not get too down if a mistake should occur.

“There’s always going to be mistakes,” he said. “I think we, as a team, have to be careful and not drawing too much on the mistakes.

“There have been a lot of good things, a lot of positive things. There are some things we could do better. But there are a lot of things we’ve been doing well that we’ve got to keep doing well.”

–Linebacker Jon Beason has been making gradual progress toward a return from a sprained left knee and is hoping to be on the field as soon as Thursday night.

“I know how important it is to practice and kind of move around a little bit,” he said. I hope to play this week. I feel good, and hopefully I get the opportunity on Thursday.”

Last week, Beason didn’t feel as though he could hold up for an entire game, so he was a scratch. As much as he wanted to be out there, he said that he realized that he would have to make a sacrifice now so that he could be there for his team as the season churns on.

“Going into the season, (the knee) was still sore and years past, I would risk it all for one play,” he said. “You play in one game and you end up missing a lot more, so it was probably the smartest thing to do — maybe give something back early to gain a lot in the end.”

After having made it through his first full practice since his injury, Beason is holding out hope that he can contribute something to the cause, even if it’s just in a limited role.

“Players want to play. I don’t want to give a play back but you are smart enough to know that conditioning comes into effect, practice reps, getting that mental rep is important as well,” he said.

“I feel pretty good; I feel fresh, but I know my teammates are really sore, and Washington probably is as well. So I’ll play the best I can for the time that I have.”