Out of the five teams in the NFL that are left undefeated, I think the Giants are the least talked about. Maybe it’s because they don’t have a compelling storyline to go along with their season, like the surprising starts for New Orleans and Denver; or maybe because the G-Men didn’t have a historically offseason signing like the Vikings did with Bret Favre. And no, they don’t have a player who has transcended his play so far above everyone else in the league like the Colts’ Peyton Manning has this season (although younger brother Eli is having a terrific season of his own). Or maybe the Giants just aren’t talked about like these other teams because, out of these five teams, the Giants have had the weakest schedule … at least so far.

While the Giants haven’t played in a competitive game since Week 2, here’s why I think their performance over the last 3 weeks has been just as impressive as any other of these other teams. The Giants lead the league in total defense and rank second, behind Dallas, in total offense (FYI: if you take away the 80 yards the Cowboys accumulated in overtime last week, the Giants would lead the league in offense). The fact, though, that the Giants just faced three of the worst teams in the NFL skew these statistics – and this is the reason why I think the G-Men haven’t gotten quite as much attention as these other undefeated teams. But the Giants haven’t just beat these teams, they have dominated them – winning by an average margin of almost 28 points. While a lot of teams might have looked past one of these teams and struggled to victory – or maybe even get upset – the Giants have gone into each of these games with the same intensity they play with against a division rival. Similar to last year, this team does not slow down when they’re winning in the second or third quarter. They go for the jugular and they go for it quickly (Rob just wrote a great article analyzing how the Giants finished off the Raiders very early on Sunday).

As great as Eli Manning and the offense has played, it’s really the defense that has been elite. They not only lead the league in yards allowed but they’re also tied for fourth with 14 sacks and third in takeaways. Justin Tuck is having the Pro Bowl caliber season that everyone thought he would, leading the team with 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The great aspect about this defense is it hasn’t been at full strength the entire season. Aaron Ross, arguable the most talented player in their secondary, has not played a down yet and nickelback Kevin Dockery just stepped onto the field for the first time last week. The team is still missing offseason pickups Michael Boley, who was playing very solid at linebacker before undergoing knee surgery, and versitile D-lineman Chris Canty who has yet to play a down. With Kenny Phillips out for the season, we won’t get to see what this defense can do with all of it’s best players healthy and on the field. But once we get a few of these other sidelined starters back, this defense will lead the Giants deep into the postseason.

Hopefully this weekend’s matchup will prove me right as the Giants will face Drew Brees and the Saints – one of the most potent offenses over the last three seasons. If the Giants win this game, the defense will have to be in top form. It will also be important for the Giants’ offense to continue to control the ball like it has throughout this season. Statistically, the Saints have a good run defense, allowing only 83.3 yards per game on the ground. However, their opponents tend to have to go to the air quickly to keep up with New Orleans’ high flying offense. Look for the Giants to establish the run early and throw a lot of screens to Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. Controlling the clock and keeping Drew Brees on the sidelines will be the key to victory over the Saints. Another major factor when playing in New Orleans is the always the crowd noise. While this could get to quarterbacks and disrupt a team’s offensive rhythem (see Mark Sanchez), the Giants have been the best road team over the last two seasons and will be prepared to play in the hostile, domed environment. I don’t see the Saints’ crowd as having as big an impact on this game as they normally would – especially if the Giants can score early like they have been all season.

Needless to say, I really like this Giants team. They’re more balanced than the team that won the Super Bowl in 2007 and seem to come into every game trying to make a statement. No other team in the NFL has looked as focused game-to-game as the Giants and they have the talent and coaching staff built to win now. Based on the first third of their season (which is a small, small sample), this Giants team will go far into the playoffs.

But as Coach Coughlin preaches, lets not get too far ahead of ourselves. Go for one throat at a time.