In The Game Meaning

(idiomatic, sports) competing in a game, with a chance of winning.

Example: 2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”[1], BBC:
  Foster had been left unsighted by Scott Dann's positioning at his post, but the goalkeeper was about to prove his worth to Birmingham by keeping them in the game with a series of stunning saves as West Ham produced waves after wave of attack in their bid to find a crucial second goal.
Used other than as an idiom: in the game.