On Sunday, the 50th New York City Marathon brought out 30,000 entrants — down 40 percent from the usual 50,000, thanks to COVID — and the thousands of spectators who turned out to cheer the runners on.

“To me, it just shows the power of the city itself,” Bruna Martins, who ran the marathon for the third time, told The New York Times. “This year, after everything we’ve been through, if anything, people are just going to be really excited out there.”

Another great sign: Billy Joel returned Friday night as Madison Square Garden’s resident Piano Man after 21 months away.

“Sorry that we shut everything down,” Joel told the crowd, “but we’re back.”

Putting aside the distractions of numerous false-positive COVID tests, late schedule changes, and players going on and off the reserve list, the Giants rode an opportunistic defense, Graham Gano’s reliable leg, and just enough offense to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders, 23-16, in MetLife Stadium.

The Giants won for the second time in three weeks and improved to 3-6 entering their bye.

On Monday, they lost a winnable game in Kansas City, 20-17. Two days later, 13 positive tests from Tuesday forced practice to be pushed back. When the testing uncertainty continued Thursday, the players were sent home for Zoom meetings only to return for practice. Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney and Gary Brightwell were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Through all the news bulletins and updates, coach Joe Judge emphasized to his players and coaches they had to maintain their normal preparation and focus.

Putting aside the distractions of numerous false-positive COVID tests, late schedule changes, and players going on and off the reserve list, the Giants rode an opportunistic defense, Graham Gano’s reliable leg, and just enough offense to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders, 23-16, in MetLife Stadium.

The Giants won for the second time in three weeks and improved to 3-6 entering their bye.

On Monday, they lost a winnable game in Kansas City, 20-17. Two days later, 13 positive tests from Tuesday forced practice to be pushed back. When the testing uncertainty continued Thursday, the players were sent home for Zoom meetings only to return for practice. Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney and Gary Brightwell were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Through all the news bulletins and updates, coach Joe Judge emphasized to his players and coaches they had to maintain their normal preparation and focus.