At the quarter mark of the NFL season, the and are still living, breathing, winning and po sibly -- po sibly -- on their way to being contending football teams.And if you don't think that's news around here, then you probably haven't been paying attention lately to Gang Green and Big Blue, to Fireman Ed () or Tom Coughlin's jumping jacks (we'll get to that).The and -- who share MetLife Stadium -- both won on the road Sunday, in London, in Orchard Park.That alone is relatively significant. It marked the first time this year -- and only the fifth time in their past 36 games, dating to the beginning of the 2013 season -- that the and won in the same NFL week.Break out the bubbly.The , who then dropped eight games in a row, are getting it done with a new coaching staff led by Todd Bowles, who likes and , but really likes winning. The are 3-1 for the first time since 2010, which is the last time they finished with an above-.500 record or made the playoffs.The reaction of the 51-year-old Bowles as his team enters its bye week? Typically stoic, almost understated, with his eyes downfield."We understand that we've only played one quarter of the season and all we did was get Brad Boxberger Jersey off to a good start," he said. "We haven't accomplished anything, and we know we have a lot of work to do, and our mindset is such."Two veterans who've become invaluable for the were acquired in March trades: wide receiver (along with a seventh-round pick) came, and quarterback came.Marshall, so far, seems happy and has given the the kind of receiver they haven't had since at least Keyshawn Johnson and perhaps Al Toon. Fitzpatrick got the job by default when was , and the veteran QB has been a steadying influence, to say the least. A Harvard graduate, Fitzpatrick has ascended to near cult hero within the training facility. When leaving for London last Thursday, wore a green "Fitzmagic" T-shirt, featuring a helmet and Fitzpatrick's beard:Mostly, and importantly for the , Fitzpatrick is an adult. None of this, whatever it becomes, will be too big for him. He has been largely effective in getting the ball to Marshall and Decker, both big targets and savvy route-runners, and handing it off to running back , a human sledgehammer. That quartet has seen a combined 33 NFL seasons, including this one."It's a lot of fun to be in the huddle with such experienced guys," Fitzpatrick said. "All of them have the right look in their eye."As for the , they were nearly left for dead after two , lo ses to start the season. As you've probably heard, they became the first team in NFL history to start 0-2 after leading both games by 10-plus points in the fourth quarter.Once Coughlin's inspirational goal, "Finish" quickly became a desperate plea. When the were facing a short week -- it helped that their -- and negativity was swirling, Coughlin remained positive and encouraging, according to players. He told them they were good enough. He pointed out that the NFC East is a me s, though his characterization was likely more eloquent.And he did jumping jacks in front of his players in the team auditorium."I would say he's come in with more energy, more enthusiasm," linebacker said. "The guy is 69 years old and it's a joy to see how much he loves to do what he does and how much of a competitor he is. It's easy to go out and fight for a guy like that."Said Coughlin: "Whether the energy level came up from whatever level it was, I don't know about that. But I do know that it put some fire in our belly to be 0-2. I didn't think we were an 0-2 team, and we needed to do something about it."The lost six games in a row to start the 2013 season and dropped seven consecutive games in the middle of last year. They remain without three of their four highest-salaried players due to injury: DE , WR and LT .Inside the locker room, there is the belief by the that they should be 4-0, that they are good enough.They are an interesting group, particularly on defense. The G-Men stop the run (yielding just 69.8 rushing yards per game) ... but give up (316.2 pa sing yards per game), don't blitz effectively and don't have much of an organic pa s rush."It's been done before with a no-name defense," veteran defensive lineman said. He added, "We don't look at ourselves like that." has reformed his turnover-prone ways; he's thrown just one interception on the season. The run game has been spotty and there were just four healthy receivers on the roster before the team . It helps, of course, that one of those wideouts is Jr., who now has played a full 16 NFL games and done so with unprecedented production for a newbie (115 catches, 1,612 yards, 14 TDs over that span). was defined by two physical marvels: ' tackle-breaking, stiff-arm-serving, , and a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter where six different players were credited with touchdown-saving tackles."We don't have any quit in us," said defensive end , who had one of those tackles. "We never back down, no matter what."Coughlin has convinced his players that they are relevant in a wide-open division. To a defense that is willing to play hard, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo preaches relentle sne s. Maybe for now, for these , that's enough.It's October and there will be football that matters at MetLife Stadium. For now, that's enough, too.Follow Kimberly Jones on Twitter Jake Lamb Jersey