By Ralph Vacchiano / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

In a moment of honesty, several Giants players admitted last week that they’ve looked beyond the Washington Redskins. It’s not that they’re overlooking their Monday night opponent. They’ve simply glanced at their remaining schedule.

And they really don’t like what they see.

Beginning on Monday night, against the revived Redskins, there’s not a soft spot in the Giants’ remaining five games until maybe the season finale at home against the seemingly dead Philadelphia Eagles. They also have to play at home against the New Orleans Saints and make road trips to face two of the best teams in the NFL (the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens).

That’s why the two-game cushion the Giants (7-4) have in the NFC East is so important, and why they know they can’t afford to let it go.