Following a memorable Sunday night, the Giants woke up this morning on top of the NFC East.
Quarterback Eli Manning turned in a performance that will be added to the top end of his career highlights, leading the Giants to a thrilling 30-27 victory over the 49ers at MetLife Stadium.
With the win, the team put its 0-2 start in the rearview mirror and won for the third week in a row, while Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington all sit at 2-3 in the division.
With that in mind, here's a taste of what experts and analysts around the NFL are saying about Big Blue:**[
Peter King, Monday Morning Quarterback](http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/10/12/nfl-week-5-monday-morning-quarterback-peter-king)**
"The Giants always hang around and hang around with Eli Manning, and they know they're never out of it, and they know it's not going to be lovely football all the time. But hand it to Manning: The Giants are the lead dogs in the NFC East right now, and they should credit a 441-yard night from Manning for fueling a win that was in doubt until the end."**
"Eli hasn't been back to the playoffs since [Super Bowl XLVI], a truth that inspired [John] Mara to consider this season a win-or-else proposition for his coach, Tom Coughlin, and general manager, Jerry Reese. But the 0-2 Giants of 2015 have become the 3-2 Giants of 2015 and a first-place team in the NFC East because Manning played like his former self, like that quarterback with rare DNA."**
"Confidence has a funny way of taking hold of a team, and this group has some right now. On a night the Giants inducted two key members of their 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl teams — guard Chris Snee and defensive end Osi Umenyiora — into their Ring of Honor, they played like some of Coughlin's former, gritty teams."
"There have been 27 of these fourth-quarter comebacks for Eli Manning in the regular season, and five more in the playoffs, so it's not really anything new. But set aside those two dramatic wins in the Super Bowl, and what you're left with at or near the top of that list is what happened Sunday night against the 49ers."
Five standout performers in the Giants Sunday night matchup vs. 49ers
TE LARRY DONNELL Donnell caught a 12-yard touchdown from Manning with 21 seconds remaining to put the Giants ahead 30-27.
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR. Odell Beckham Jr. led all players with seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, the ninth 100-yard performance of the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year's career. Beckham also drew a late passing interference penalty to set up the game-winning score.
RB SHANE VEREEN The running back did what he does best and caught eight passes for 86 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
QB ELI MANNING Completing a career-high 41 passes for a season-high 441 yards and three touchdowns, Eli Manning passed former Giant and 17-year NFL veteran Kerry Collins (40,922) for 12th place on the all-time passing yards list. He also picked up his 102nd win, passing Phil Simms for first in franchise history.
DE DAMONTRE MOORE Moore notched two sacks on the night, including one of Colin Kaepernick with four seconds left in the game to thwart the 49ers' comeback attempt.
"It could be argued that without the fourth quarter, the Giants would be 5-0 this season. They dropped their two losses in 2015 to the Cowboys and Falcons with fourth-quarter collapses, and in Big Blue's two wins, the Redskins and Bills looked to make things all too competitive near the end of the game. But on Sunday night against the 49ers at MetLife Stadium, the fourth quarter was finally a friend to Tom Coughlin's team as, right after the 49ers took a 27-23 lead with 1:45 left in the game, Eli Manning led the Giants to a touchdown drive of their own to steal the game right back and win 30-27."**
"Eli Manning just might be the best Manning brother in the NFL. The Giants quarterback was the star of the show on Sunday night, throwing for 441 yards and three TDs. Manning also completed 41 passes, which broke Phil Simms' franchise record of 40 that had stood since 1985. The other hero for the Giants was Larry Donnell, who made an almost impossible 12-yard touchdown catch with just 21 seconds left in the game."
