With the Giants down 24-7 in the fourth quarter against the Eagles, I began thinking of how much Christmas Eve was gonna suck.

The Saints come to town on Dec. 24 for the final home contest this year, the first in which I retained season tickets for personal use, and I started to wonder if this gamble was gonna work out. Believe me, buying Giants tickets (or, in this instance, not selling them prior to the season-opener) is a gamble.

When the G-Men are going well, these tickets are like gold. About a month before last Sunday's opener against the Colts, tickets comparable to ours in Section 216 (mezzanine, corner end zone) were selling for about $350 a pop. (That came down a bit after out-of-towners, who always pay too much on eBay, finalized their travel plans.)

When the G-Men are going bad, you can't give these things away. I don't know what it's like in warm, Southern cities, where the tailgates might kick ass regardless of a team's record, thanks in part to nice weather and an assortment of eye candy (I'm talking to you, Dallas, and your trophy-wife bimbos). But a solid team record is kinda required for spending a freezing, late December morning in a New Jersey parking lot.

And you really never know how these things are gonna go. This Bill Belichick bio says that the Pats own the NFL's longest playoff streak, at only three seasons. I don't know if New England shares that mark with any teams, but, man, that's the NFL in a nutshell.

Staring down an 0-2 record, and a date in Seattle against the NFC champs next weekend, this season was going down the tubes faster than Theo Epstein's rep.

Twenty-seven minutes of game time (including overtime) later, we're in first place. With an unblemished record in the division and a crucial road win against an NFC East rival.

OK, it's early, but that win was sweet. And Christmas Eve looks a little brighter.

Other Giants Thoughts:

• Eli Manning has such an "aw shucks" look that he can't possibly get the benefit of the doubt on whether his make-up is built for the vicious arena of pro football. But check this: On Sunday, Manning got sacked eight times, yet still completed 31 of 43 pass attempts for 371 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. You can't have a better performance under the duress of a relentless pass rush. What poise. In two games this season, against very quality opponents, Manning has completed 51 of 77 pass attempts (66.2%) for 618 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs. He's been terrific.

• Earlier this week, on the Mike & Mad Dog radio show, Chris Russo said you have to start thinking about Tiki Barber as a Hall of Fame candidate. I brought this up in January, and I'll just re-post what I wrote then:

Tiki Barber for the Hall of Fame? My gut says no — this was only his second Pro Bowl season — but check this: He's currently 20th all-time, and could easily wind up in the top 10 ever, in yards from scrimmage (leaderboard). He's got 528 career receptions, and I count only three running backs with more than 600 (leaderboard). And he's only 1,214 rushing yards shy of 10,000, though that number doesn't mean nearly as much as it used to. Corey Dillon has 10,000 yards and a Super Bowl ring, but the only way he's getting into Canton is with a ticket.

• What the fuck kind of name is Plaxico, anyway? Sounds like an electric toothbrush or video-editing software.

• The Giants have outscored the Colts and Eagles, combined, 50-49. The Texans have been outscored by the Colts and Eagles, combined, 63-34. Houston comes into Giants Stadium on Nov. 5.

• I get the feeling the Giants are kinda mistake-y. Seems like they have been for years. False starts, bad snaps, untimely penalties, that kinda of crap. Yet, somehow, everything went right in that fourth quarter in Philly. If we can figure out how to stop any offense before halftime, we could do some damage this season. Stay tuned.