The Giants won in Pittsburgh in almost exactly the way they knocked off the league's powerhouses on the road in last season's playoffs - with Eli Manning playing a solid, mistake-free game and making all the throws he needed to make, and the defense absolutely dominating in the fourth quarter.

Manning's receivers didn't do him any favors - he threw two perfect balls to Steve Smith (one a 15-yard out) and another a deep ball that was jarred loose when Smith took a hit. Both catches were tough, but certainly makable. Fullback Madison Hedgecock also dropped two - he might be the only player in the league with worse hands than Brandon Jacobs.

But the key was Steve Spagnuolo's blitzing defense and better play by the secondary, the blown coverage on Nate Washington notwithstanding. It's only Week 8, and things will change drastically between now and the end of the season, but this was the type of game the Giants will need to play if they're going to make another run this year.

Wonder what this team would have looked like with a healthy Osi Umenyiora.