When the season began, nobody expected that the Giants, after seven games, would sit all alone atop the NFC East. Big Blue is 5-2 for the first time since … actually, since last year, when they were also 5-2 but lost seven of their last eight to finish 6-10. The 2003 Giants began the season 4-4,only to lose the rest of their game by a combined score of 219-78.Is there any reason to believe this year’s Giants will avoid another tumble in the second half?

Actually, there is. This year, Big Blue has a secret weapon: the NFL’s best special teams, by a huge margin.

At FootballOutsiders.com, we measure special teams by estimating the point value of each change in field position, adding the value of field goals compared to the league average given the same opportunities, and then adjust by weather and altitude. This method estimates that special teams give the Giants 5.9 points per game over the NFL average. The next best team, Buffalo, is only worth an estimated 3.4 points per game, and only five teams in the league gain at least 1.5 points per game from special teams.

The special teams are both consistent and well-rounded. The Giants are the only team with above-average special teams in every single game this year. Jay Feely’s 51-yard field goal attempt against Washington that clanked off the upright was his first miss all year. Willie Ponder is fourth in the NFL with 28.2 yards per kick return. Chad Morton ranks sixth with 9.1 yards per punt return. The Giants are second in the NFL with 40.3 gross yards per punt, having allowed only two punt returns of more than eight yards, and seventh with 43.0 gross yards per kickoff.

The old adage that special teams are one-third of the game isn’t really true – they’re more like one-seventh of a team’s value – but when the special teams are strong, it makes the offense and defense stronger as well. Better kickoff and punt returns lead to a shortened field, which makes it easier for the offense to score. Likewise, longer kickoffs and punts force the opposition to put together longer scoring drives. And a strong field goal kicker, of course, can make the difference between a momentum-building win and a demoralizing loss.

Giants fans know all about these demoralizing losses, because poor special teams play has produced a number of them during the past few seasons. None was as devastating as the botched snap that prevented Matt Bryant from attempting a last-second 41-yard field goal in a 39-38 loss to San Francisco during the 2002 playoffs. From 1998-2003, the Giants never finished higher than 23rd in the Football Outsiders’ special teams ratings.

When the Giants hired Tom Coughlin as head coach prior to the 2004 season, one of his primary directives was to fix the special teams. The first step came a year ago, when Coughlin moved Ponder into the kick returner role. In 11 games last season, Ponder failed just once to return a kickoff to at least the 20-yard line. Coughlin also added veteran punter Jeff Feagles, and the Giants moved up to 14th in special teams.

This year, the Giants have improved tremendously on punt and kickoff coverage, but they’ve also gotten a big boost from an under publicized free-agent signing: kicker Jay Feely. The former Falcon has always been among the league’s top kickers for distance, and his average kickoff goes seven yards farther than that of last year’s kicker, Steve Christie.

But Feely’s field goal prowess has been a surprise. He had never before hit more than 80% of his field goals despite playing home games in the Georgia Dome. This season, Feely has hit 16 of 17 attempts, including all three between 40 and 49 yards and three out of four from more than 50 yards. The strong chance that Feely will return to earth is the one reason to believe that the Giants’ special teams won’t be quite as dominant in the second half of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Big Blue’s special teams dominance goes a long way toward explaining this year’s power shift in the NFC East. For the past few years, this was Philadelphia’s secret weapon. Bolstered by the game’s best all-around kicker, David Akers, the Eagles ranked fourth or higher in special teams four straight years and won four division titles. This year, the tables have turned, and just as the Giants now have the league’s best special teams, the last place Eagles have the league’s worst.

Philadelphia’s struggles started with the injured hamstring that hampered Akers for three weeks before knocking him off the active roster. Akers was replaced by Todd France, and then Jose Cortez, who had been dumped earlier in the season by Tampa Bay and Dallas, respectively. Akers is expected back soon, but will only be able to kick field goals, leaving kickoffs to Cortez.

The Eagles can blame kicking problems on injuries, but return problems can only be blamed on inferior play. Punt returner Dexter Wynn is averaging an abysmal 4.7 yards per return, the lowest total in the league. On kick returns, Wynn and Roderick Hood average just 20.9 yards per return, 25th in the league.

Until Sunday, Philadelphia’s only bright spot on special teams was punter Dirk Johnson, whose hang time and ability to punt directionally allowed just 14 of 39 punts to be returned for positive yardage. But that bright spot got a lot darker when Johnson reaggravated a groin injury against Denver; he could be out for the rest of the season.

The Eagles were supposed to run away with the NFC East again this year. They were also supposed to enjoy another year of great special teams. Instead, the Giants have the great special teams and the division lead. They’re not quite running away with the NFC East, but they might if Ponder and Morton have anything to say about it.

Mr. Schatz is the editor in chief of FootballOutsiders.com.