EAST RUTHERFORD http://www.jacksonvillejaguarsteamonline.com/jawaan-taylor-jersey , N.J. (AP) —the New York Giants would be out of the playoff hunt in most seasons.This isn’t most seasons in the NFC East. No one has a winning record.Washington (2-2) saw its lead in the division shrink Monday night with a 43-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Dallas (2-3) and Philadelphia (2-3) are tied for second with the Giants a game behind.“The key is to win your division and give yourself a chance to compete and go on from there,” coach Pat Shurmur said Monday after the Giants held a walkthrough for Thursday night’s game at MetLife Stadium against the Super Bowl champion Eagles. “That’s what we are battling for.”The Giants have been competitive. Three of the four losses have been by a total of 14 points. They were close against New Orleans until the fourth quarter.“There is no panic,” Shurmur said. “There is urgency to win, every week. That’s what we are fighting to do. Along the way, every team goes through stuff and we’re in it. We just have to go win some games.”Defensive captain Alec Ogletree isn’t taking solace with other division foes struggling.“You know you still have a chance to get to where you want to go, but we definitely would rather be 4-1 or 5-0 or whatever,” he said. “But we are not, so we have to take it day by day and get ready for this week.”The Giants thought they had their second win of the season Sunday when Eli Manning threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Saquon Barkley with 1:08 to play to take a 31-30 lead.The Panthers stunned them with an eight-play, 30-yard drive that Graham Gano capped with 1 second to play with a career-best 63-yard field goal. It was 1 yard shy of the NFL record set by Matt Prater in 2013.Cornerback Michael Thomas said his only focus is getting some wins.“If we eliminate the self-inflicting wounds, those self-inflicted mistakes, I think we will be fine,” he said. “Let’s just worry about us and not anybody else’s job.”Manning said the division race is wide open, especially with five more division games in the final three months.“There has to be some urgency,” said Manning, who threw for 326 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday. “We have to get going and we have to get hot and get on a streak.”Manning said he spoke with Odell Beckham Jr. about the receiver’s recent comments about how he wants the team to throw the ball more than 20 yards and that the team lacked heart and energy.“Coach handled the situation well with Odell http://www.jacksonvillejaguarsteamonline.com/gardner-minshew-ii-jersey , having him address the team and setting the record straight from his point of view,” Manning said. “I think that was smart and big by him in that situation, owning up to what was going on, setting the record straight and avoiding the distractions, the this and that, and just worrying about playing football.”Manning said the poor start probably led to comments by Beckham, who caught eight passes for 131 yards and threw a 57-yard scoring pass to Barkley.“When you are not winning there is usually not a whole lot of energy around,” Manning said. “That’s kind of the way it can work. You are probably not playing well on Sunday so you are not excited about things. That’s football. The energy, the excitement, all those things, they come with the execution.”NOTES: Shurmur said there is a chance that starting TE Evan Engram (knee) may play this week after missing the past two games. LB Olivier Vernon (ankle) also may play for the first time this season. TE Rhett Ellison (foot) and placekicker Aldrick Rosas (quad) were hurt Sunday. Rosas has been perfect this season. The Giants may add a kicker to the practice squad, the coach said. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have kept the heart of their defense intact with a hefty commitment to linebacker Anthony Barr.For the four-time Pro Bowl pick, a late offer to stay with the only NFL team he’s played for proved too valuable to pass up.According to a person with direct knowledge of the deal, Barr agreed Tuesday to re-sign with the Vikings on a five-year, $67.5 million contract with $33 million guaranteed and more money available through escalators. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced by the Vikings, who had until the beginning of the new league year Wednesday to clear the necessary space for Barr’s contract to fit under the salary cap.Barr first made a verbal agreement to join the New York Jets, according to reports by ESPN and the NFL Network http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/darrell-henderson-jersey , but he ultimately changed his mind to remain with the team that drafted him ninth overall in 2014.In an Instagram post Tuesday night, Barr confirmed his decision and thanked the Vikings ownership, executives and coaches for the opportunity to return .“It’s been a crazy couple days, but I’m where I want to be,” Barr said. “I believe in our locker room. I love my guys! Back to work!”The Vikings landed quarterback Kirk Cousins last season, despite a larger offer from the Jets. Fifteen years ago, at the persistence of then-coach Mike Tice and his friend’s private plane, the Vikings persuaded cornerback Antoine Winfield to abandon his visit to the Jets and sign with Minnesota instead.Barr was the first draft pick by the Vikings under coach Mike Zimmer, whose 4-3 base defense has been a natural fit for the sleek, 6-foot-5, 255-pound Barr . The variety of assignments the scheme has put him in at the strong side spot have minimized pass-rushing opportunities, though, and limited his career total to 13½ sacks.He took some turns at defensive end last season and spoke often of a preference to run forward, not backward in coverage, raising the possibility he’d seek a new team with a 3-4 system. Though Zimmer has repeatedly praised Barr over the last five years, the coach bluntly stated in 2016 that Barr “has a tendency to coast a little bit.” Whether the reason was effort or scheme, the Vikings have had their share of games when Barr’s presence went largely unnoticed. When the Vikings gave new deals last summer to wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive end Danielle Hunter but didn’t reach an extension with Barr http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/irv-smith-jr.-jersey , the likelihood he would leave only increased.But Barr’s primary agent, Brian Murphy of the Southern California-based Athletes First firm, has built a strong relationship over recent years with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and executive vice president for football operations Rob Brzezinski through negotiations on previous megadeals for defensive end Everson Griffen, tight end Kyle Rudolph and safety Harrison Smith. Murphy also represents cornerback Trae Waynes, who has entered the final year of his rookie contract.The Vikings entered the offseason with little cap space, after spending big on Cousins, Diggs and Hunter in 2018. They jettisoned two players, guard Mike Remmers and safety Andrew Sendejo , for more room. Another starter, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, reached an agreement with the Cleveland Browns. He’ll likely be replaced by Shamar Stephen, who according to multiple reports has agreed to return to the Vikings, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2014.