EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When the New York Giants were down by 10 points in their game against the Falcons, something clicked for the players.

“We just didn’t want to lose the game,” safety Antrel Rolle said on Monday. “We’re out there battling, trying to get a win at all costs.

“Initially it started with the offense going out there and putting seven on the board. The defense was playing relentless. We weren’t giving up anything at that point.”

New York, of course, won that game and are over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2012 season when they finished 9-7, something that Rolle said he and his teammates expected.

The shift in momentum for the Giants season, which started out 0-2, is coming at just the right time. Starting this weekend, the Giants will begin a two-game road stretch against NFC East opponents, which begins on Sunday night in Philadelphia.

Even head coach Tom Coughlin sounded optimistic about where his team is at this point, especially with that two-game stretch coming up.

“It is certainly better than looking backwards,” he said. “It is better than if it was in the first or second week, but at this point in time, it’s the next game.

“It is not a whole lot of speculation that I put into anything like that. It’s the next game — we better be ready.”

REPORT CARD VS. FALCONS

PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus — It wasn’t one of Eli Manning’s sharpest games, at least not from a statistical standpoint, but give him credit for not turning the ball over. The addition of Odell Beckham yielded exactly the results the Giants hoped for, as the Falcons had to remove a safety from the box in order to cover the deeper end of the field. That opened a number of opportunities underneath, and Manning and the Giants took full advantage. Other than allowing one coverage sack to defensive end Osi Umenyiora on a ball that Manning should have thrown away, the offensive line pitched a pass blocking shut out in keeping the Falcons out of Manning’s face.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B — Although a knee injury cut short Rashad Jennings’ afternoon, it was a good chance for rookie Andre Williams to take some snaps, and he did not disappoint. Getting stronger with each carry, Williams ran for 65 yards on 20 carries, adding his second career touchdown to the mix. He also seemed to find a groove as a pass protector after Jennings was forced to the sideline. The offensive line’s run blocking was also pristine for the most part, as the Giants runners were having success getting to the second level.

PASS DEFENSE: C — It was a tale of two halves for the Giants pass defense, starting with the pass rush. New York brought the heat, but had no luck in finishing off the play and pressuring quarterback Matt Ryan. That changed in the second half, however, as the Giants pass rush started to get home. In coverage, the Falcons were successful in mostly keeping Julio Jones away from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but thanks to the pass rush waking up, the coverage guys were in better position to make the plays that needed to be made. One area, though, that did remain a bit shaky throughout was the play of the linebackers, who when not taking proper angles, were reacting a hair or two too late to the play.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus — The Giants’ normally stout run defense did yield a couple of long runs, including a 24-yarder by Davonte Freeman and an 11-yarder to Stephen Jackson. The Giants allowed 90 rushing yards on 21 carries, had some early game issues with shedding blocks and angles, but they fixed those as the game wore on, allowing only 37 yards on the ground in the second half as Atlanta tried to play catch-up through the air.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus — The follies continued this week, although thankfully for New York, they didn’t cost them the game. However, two plays in particular were disturbing. These included the fumbled kickoff by Preston Parker, who was put into the game in place of Quintin Demps, and the 25-yard punt return by Devin Hester on a ball kicked down the middle of the field that was then poorly covered.

COACHING: B — Credit offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo for adjusting his game plan based on what the defense showed during a game. An example of that came in the second half, when the Giants running game, which in the first 30 minutes of the game accumulated 45 yards on 12 carries, finished up with 124 yards on 34 carries thanks to the switch over to the power package. On defense, Perry Fewell’s unit is still susceptible to giving up the big plays. In the first half in particular, the angles taken by the players were off, allowing the Falcons to move the ball for significant yardage both on the ground and in the air.