Here’s a look at the first half of the season for the New York Giants (5-3) and a preview of what to expect in the second half:

Grade B-: This isn’t the way it was expected to unfold. The Giants’ offense, not the defense, was supposed to carry the team early in the season. Instead, it was the other way around. Regardless, the Giants have managed to win some games despite the offense and quarterback Eli Manning being out of sync for most of the first eight games. The defense bailed them out by carrying the Giants to several key victories and managed to keep them afloat. It has them in the middle of the NFC playoff race, despite some uneven and often discouraging performances. The Giants deserve some credit for keeping it together throughout a tough first half of a season filled that has seen more than a few off-the-field dramas.

Midseason MVP: Cornerback Janoris Jenkins was handed a lucrative new contract by the Giants during the offseason. Some even thought he was being overpaid (myself included) at $12.5 million per year. But Jenkins has lived up to the contract, serving as a No. 1 cover cornerback and an asset against the run. Jenkins allows an occasional big play, but he also shut down some top receivers, beginning with Dallas’ Dez Bryant (one catch for 8 yards) in Week 1. Jenkins is among the league leaders in passes defended, and opposing quarterbacks have consistently had trouble completing throws in his direction. Jenkins also has been reliable and healthy on a week-to-week basis, which was a major factor in the decision to target him in free agency and allow Prince Amukamara to walk.

Best moment: In his first game back in 700 days, Victor Cruz caught the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter against the rival Cowboys in Week 1. It was a perfectly scripted return, one that was fitting for the career of an undrafted rookie out of Massachusetts. It also was a critical victory for the Giants, who blew their opener during the previous season in Dallas and desperately needed to start this season on the right foot.

Worst moment: Off the field, the Giants’ bungling of the Josh Brown situation put a stain on the reputation of the franchise. They stuck by their kicker despite red flags until they couldn’t any longer. On the field, it was their collapse in an undisciplined 29-27 loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 3 that still leaves a nasty taste in their mouths. The Giants had a chance to bury the Redskins and missed, in large part because of their own implosion: You can pick center Weston Richburg’s ejection after collecting two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties; rookie safety Andrew Adams’ foolish unnecessary roughness penalty after a punt that cost close to 30 yards in field possession; or either of Manning’s two interceptions in the fourth quarter as the worst individual moment of the first half of the season. Put them all together and the stinging blown opportunity to bury the then-winless Redskins and improve to 3-0 should simply qualify as the team's worst moment.

Player to watch: The first half of the season featured plenty of ups and downs from Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants’ top playmaker. He had a career-best and a career-worst performance during the first eight games, with 222 yards against the Ravens and 23 yards against the Vikings, who took him out of the game, emotionally. The second half of seasons have been his calling card, though. Beckham has averaged over 100 yards per game in November and December during his first two professional seasons. He appears primed for a big second half again, especially being healthier than in recent weeks.

Second-half outlook: The Giants should win some games as their defense continues to jell and their offense puts it together, to some degree. It’s hard to imagine them struggling to the lengths they did in the first half of the season over the course of a full 16 games. At some point, the passing game has to click. They also have to -- almost by default -- take care of the ball better and improve their turnover margin. It will help that the first half was littered by difficult road games (at Dallas, Minnesota and Green Bay), but the second half of the season features a more favorable schedule (against Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit). It should lead to more victories for the Giants and keep them, at the very least, in the running for a playoff berth.