Of course there was a segment of Blue York thrilled the Cowboys dug a 10-gallon dagger into the heart of Redskins playoff hopes on Thanksgiving, because it gives the Giants the inside track in the wild-card race if they remember to take care of business Sunday at Cleveland against the 0-11 Browns.
But the other segment of Blue York, which includes the New York Football Giants, isn’t ready to abandon the dream of winning the NFC East.
And why should they?
There is too much football left to be played in this wacky NFL not to keep on shooting for the moon. The Big Blue moon.
Especially because Jerry Jones will have to bring Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant to MetLife Stadium on December 11.
Especially if the 10-1 Cowboys were to lose to a desperate 6-5 Vikings team in Minnesota next Thursday and the Giants were to be no worse than one game behind them when Dallas comes to town, knowing a sweep of the season series would give them the lead in the division with three games left.
“I don’t think you ever get caught up into what other teams are doing, and how it might affect things,” Eli Manning said. “All we can do is control our games that we’re playing, and so if we go handle our business and do what we’re supposed to do these next six games, everything else will work itself out.”
Manning understands the thinking of the Blue York crowd that was rooting for the 6-4-1 Redskins.
“Our goal is always to win the division, that’s our mindset, that’s what our hopes are,” Manning told The Post.
“Obviously if the Cowboys — we still gotta play ’em — but if they win all the other games except when we possibly play, they’d still win the division, but if we do our part and they lose one other, and we beat them, then we would win it. So we just gotta worry about what we can do.”
Victor Cruz can understand where the Blue York crowd that didn’t mind the Cowboys beating the Redskins is coming from.
“Obviously, you want to catch up to get the No. 1 spot, that’s always our goal is to be No. 1 and win the division and all those great things,” Cruz said, “but obviously in the grand scheme of things, you just want to be able to be in a position to make it to the postseason, and that loss definitely gets us a step closer.”
It was one small step for Giantkind. But it should never transcend the possibility of one giant leap for Giants.
“That’s what you play for, that’s what you want to do, and that’s your goal year in and year out,” Cruz said, “and then whatever trickles down from that, comes from it. But our goal is to always win the division for sure.”
None of them have taken their eyes off the immediate prize either — the 0-11 Browns.
“Every game is a game that can make and break our season, it’s not about just the playoffs, it’s every game that counts,” Landon Collins said.
Jason Pierre-Paul was asked if he would have preferred the Redskins beating the Cowboys.
“We don’t care,” he said. “We’re gonna take care of what we gotta take care of over here.”
John Jerry has to help Weston Richburg take care of Cleveland’s man mountain Danny Shelton so Rashad Jennings and Paul Perkins can run to daylight.
“I only can control what I do against Cleveland, so that’s what I’m focused on,” Jerry said.
The Vikings are one game behind the Lions, one-half game behind the Redskins, one-half game ahead of the Buccaneers, and would be two games behind the Giants should Big Blue extend their winning streak to six games Sunday. The Vikes are 4-1 in their new stadium, by the way.
“Everything is right here in front of us,” Jennings said, “and Year 8, I’ve never been able to say that at this time of the year, and it feels good, and don’t want to lose it.”
The division is still there for the taking. Beat the 0-11 Browns and don’t stop trying to take it.