At some point, whatever anyone wants to say about the New York Giants and how they've gotten to their record doesn't matter much.

The Giants had a huge game Sunday night against the Washington Commanders. The two teams had identical 7-5-1 records coming in. The winner would be in great position for a wild-card spot in the NFC. The Giants had to go on the road and find a way to win against a division rival that, if you trust advanced stats, is better than them.

The Giants won 20-12. Sure, they're probably not as good as their 8-5-1 record. They have a really thin offense that's hard to watch at times. People will complain about having to watch them in a playoff game, if the Giants don't blow it over the final three weeks. But it doesn't matter.

The Giants set the tone in the first half Sunday, and their defense came up with a huge sack and fumble recovery deep in their own territory with a few minutes left. Then a huge illegal formation penalty on Washington receiver Terry McLaurin wiped out what would've been a touchdown with about a minute to go, and Washington couldn't score again, as the Giants defense held. It was a huge win, especially considering it clinched the tiebreaker over Washington, which fell to 7-6-1.

The basic rules of the NFL season remain the same: Nothing matters in the standings other than wins and losses. We can debate if certain teams are better or worse than their records, but playoff spots are given out based on record. And the Giants' is good enough that they're in prime position to make the playoffs, something few predicted for them before the season.

Hate on the Giants if you want, but credit them for getting what should end up being a pretty significant win Sunday.

Washington had a bad first half

The Commanders had a miserable first half. And Giants rookie defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux carried New York to a lead.

Thibodeaux, the fifth pick of the draft, had seven tackles, three for loss, and a huge sack before halftime. He strip-sacked Taylor Heinicke, chased down the loose ball and picked it up for a touchdown. That gave the Giants a 7-3 lead.

Later in the second quarter, the Giants went on a 97-yard drive. Saquon Barkley scored a 3-yard touchdown to finish the drive, and New York led 14-3.

Washington had no answers. The offense couldn't move the ball running it or passing it, and the defense looked surprisingly vulnerable against a thin Giants offense.

It was shocking, with a playoff berth practically on the line against a division rival, how flat Washington was. But give the Giants credit. They took it to the Commanders.

Giants hung on in the second half

While the Giants have every right to celebrate a big win, fans who had no stake in the game didn't see a pretty performance from either side.

Both offenses are flawed, and neither executed very well. The Commanders did claw their way back in the game. Jahan Dotson scored on a 19-yard touchdown catch, but fittingly, a two-point conversion was wiped off the board when Dotson was flagged for setting an illegal pick. That offensive pass interference knocked Washington back, and the Commanders missed the extra point.

The Giants were on the ropes late in the fourth quarter. Dotson made a great catch for a big gain. Brian Robinson Jr. made a run inside the red zone. Then the Giants' defense made a huge play. On third down, Dexter Lawrence sacked Heinicke, and the ball came out right before Heinicke hit the ground. It was ruled a fumble after Giants coach Brian Daboll challenged the play, and New York took over.

That was a huge turn. After that, a deflated Commanders team gave up a few big runs to Barkley, which flipped field position. Graham Gano hit a 50-yard field goal with 1:55 left, and the Giants led 20-12.

The game wasn't over. The Commanders got a long kickoff return and a 27-yard catch to Curtis Samuel to start the drive. The Giants almost sealed the win, but cornerback Nick McCloud dropped a potential interception that hit his hands. Then Thibodeaux came up with another big play, stopping Heinicke at the 1-yard line on a run. On the next play, McLaurin didn't line up correctly, and the illegal formation penalty nullified a touchdown run by Robinson. Heinicke threw two incomplete passes after that, and the Giants held on.

The Giants have been down for a while. Since winning a Super Bowl at the end of the 2011 season, they've made the playoffs just once, and they lost their first game. Going 0-1 in the playoffs over a 10-season stretch is miserable. Make whatever jokes you want about the Giants, but this franchise isn't going to apologize for any playoff berth.

Now they just have to finish the job.