Victor Cruz has said that a tight race for the NFC East title suits the New York Giants.

The reigning Super Bowl champions currently top their division, but the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys are just one win behind them.

The wide receiver told NFL AM: "We have a group of guys that never want to back down. I think it takes us to be backed up against the wall in order for our best to come out.

"I know it's unfortunate. I know coach [Tom] Coughlin doesn't like it very much. But it's something that we've been accustomed to doing, and I think it's going to hold true this year as well.

"Every year at this time people count us out, nobody picks us and then we go on this tremendous run to win the Super Bowl. Nobody's talking about us and we want to continue to keep this trend going of the last year."

The Giants face the NFC's top-ranked side, the Atlanta Falcons, on Sunday.