Bring on Dallas: Giants need to prove they can beat a good team against the Cowboys | Politi

PITTSBURGH — Eli Manning had just shed his red-and-white jersey and slipped into a brown suit but he was already up-to-date on the important results from around the NFC.

He knew that Washington had lost. He knew that Philadelphia had, too. He knew the Giants’ position in the postseason picture hadn’t really changed despite a 24-14 loss to the Steelers, that they were still one of the six teams that would be make the tournament if it started today.

He also seemed to recognize something that his younger teammates might not see as clearly: That it essentially does start today, because if this team wants to end its four-year playoff drought it is going to have to finally prove it can beat a good opponent.

And, wouldn’t you know it, a very good one just happens to be making a trip to MetLife Stadium in seven days …

“I hadn’t checked out the whole picture in the NFC, but again, it’s going to come down to these last four games,” Manning said. “We’ve got four good teams we’ve got to play against, and we’ve got to handle our business. It starts this week with a big one against Dallas.”

The quarterback throws two killer interceptions as the Steelers end the Giants’ six-game winning streak.

This is a big one, indeed. Even with the loss, this is quite possibly the biggest one for the Giants since they won Super Bowl XLVI. The Cowboys are 11-1 and can clinch the NFC East with a victory. The Giants are 8-4, and while they are the team to put that lone blemish on their old rivals record, that sure does feel like a long time ago.

The Giants need a good performance in this game. Their six-game winning streak against mostly the league’s bottom feeders has put them in a position…