When quarterback Jaxson Dart went down with a left knee injury on the night of Sept. 21, the New York Giants lost their most important offensive player for the remainder of the regular season and got routed by the Los Angeles Rams.

Less than a week later, edge rusher Brian Burns tearing ligaments in his right knee meant they'd be without their most important defensive player the rest of the way. Later it was returner Braxton Berrios and then inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Despite those absences and some stumbles along the way, the Giants are in the driver's seat to win the woebegone NFC East with a record of 4-2-1. But with several other key players banged up, their bye week did not arrive a moment too soon to heal up for the stretch run.

“It’s coming at the right time for us,” coach John Harbaugh said. “There are a lot of little nicks and bumps and bruises and strains and stresses on guys’ bodies that can use a little recovery time."

Standout left tackle Andrew Thomas has been gutting through a groin injury, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor has a calf injury, cornerback Greg Newsome and Jevon Holland missed the game last weekend at Houston because of concussions and tight end Theo Johnson sat out the past two with a neck injury. Running back Tyrone Tracy is out the next four after injuring a hamstring.

So far, the depth on the roster that wasn't present in previous years has come through — along with the key trade for J.J. McCarthy. New York is the first team since New England a decade ago to have three different QBs win a game before November.

Those Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl. That would be an outsized expectation for the Giants, but making the playoffs and hosting a wild-card game isn't out of the realm of possibility given their start.

“I’m happy where we are,” general manager Joe Schoen told reporters Tuesday at his annual bye week news conference. “I really like the team. I like the makeup of the players, the grit. ... Each team takes on a personality of its own, but I’m really happy about where the guys are. They’ve earned the right to be in first place in the NFC East, and we have meaningful games ahead of us that I’m looking forward to.”

This time last year, the Giants were early in a losing streak that cost coach Brian Daboll his job. Top receiver Malik Nabers was set for a long rehab of his significant knee injury, and exciting rookie running back Cam Skattebo had just undergone surgery to repair a gruesome broken fibula and dislocated ankle.

Now, Nabers has eclipsed 100 yards receiving in four consecutive games, Skattebo atoned for a fumble that led to getting no carries the following game and Harbaugh isn't shying away from talking to players about winning the division.

“We’ll bring it up every now and then,” Harbaugh said. “It’s definitely always forefront because that’s the ultimate goal."

The biggest reason for optimism is McCarthy, the 10th pick in the 2024 draft by Minnesota who struggled to get his footing there and is benefitting from a change of scenery following a late-September trade. McCarthy supplanted Jameis Winston as the starter and beat the Texans on Sunday in overtime, completing 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards.

That was only McCarthy's 11th NFL start. He began feeling comfortable late in his time with the Vikings, but now is getting the chance to show what he can do in New York now that the role is his for the foreseeable future.

“It’s one of those things where you think you’re starting over, but no, you’re starting from experience,” McCarthy said in Houston. "To be able to be plugged into this group and this culture, I’m just extremely honored.”

The Giants visit Philadelphia — without Jalen Hurts — on Nov. 8 in their first game out of the bye, followed by home games against Washington in prime time on Nov. 12 and Jacksonville on Nov. 22. Harbaugh during his 18 seasons with Baltimore was 15-3 after a bye, a winning percentage of .833 that is the best of any coach in the Super Bowl era.

“I think we just come back and play really well the week after the bye,” Harbaugh said. “That’s the secret formula: Play good football.”