The New York Giants enter their Week 12 matchup against the 0-11 Cleveland Browns at 7-3 and on a five-game winning streak, New York’s longest streak since winning five in a row in 2010.

ESPN’s Week 12 power rankings have the Giants at No. 6, their highest ranking of the season and a 10-spot jump from where they were entering Week 11.

Despite the win streak and the high ranking, the Giants seem to be flying under the radar. Chasing a 9-1 Dallas Cowboys team that has two rookies who might have MVP cases when all is said and done could have something to do with that.

Defense has been the key to the Giants' strong 10-game start to the 2016 season.

High-priced additions paying off

On the first day of free agency this offseason, New York signed Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Damon Harrison to contracts that included $105.3 million guaranteed. That was more guaranteed money than they spent on all free agents in the previous five years ($85.1 million).

Those additions are paying off.

Over their last five games, the Giants allowed three passing touchdowns and picked off eight passes. Second-year safety Landon Collins has five of those picks, and Jenkins has accounted for a team-high six pass breakups. Giants opponents have a Total QBR of 43 during that span, second lowest in the NFL behind the Miami Dolphins.

The Giants have 14 sacks in their last five games after picking up just four sacks in the first five games this season. Vernon and Harrison have more sacks during the team’s win streak (4.5) than all of their defensive players combined early in the season.

And while the sack numbers were low early in the year, the Giants generated pressure on 27 percent of opponent dropbacks through Week 5, 12th in the NFL. That is up to 31 percent since the start of Week 6 and ranks 10th in the NFL.

Closing games

The 2015 Giants team simply could not close out games. They lost four games after they had a lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter, tied for the most by any team in a season since the 1970 Merger, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. They lost three games after leading by double digits in the fourth quarter, tied for the most by any team in a single season in NFL history, according to Elias.

New York has had a lead in the fourth quarter in eight of their 10 games this season, and they have won seven of those. Their defense has been a big reason why.

The Giants are allowing 4.2 yards per play in the fourth quarter this season, the third-lowest rate in the NFL. Opponents have gained 2.6 yards per rush (third in the NFL) and 5.6 yards per pass attempt (second) against the Giants in the fourth quarter in 2016. New York ranked last in yards per rush allowed (5.4) and yards per pass attempt allowed (7.7) in the fourth quarter last season.

If you look at just the last five games, opponents have completed just 44 percent of their fourth-quarter pass attempts against the Giants with a QBR of 20.

After a Week 12 matchup with the Browns, who rank 29th in FPI's offensive projections, the Giants' defense will be tested by the Pittsburgh Steelers (fifth), Cowboys (fourth), Detroit Lions (12th) and Washington Redskins (seventh).