With only 22 wins in the last 5 seasons versus 59 losses in that same time period, the New York Giants needed something to change, and fast… and so far this season, that seems to be exactly what is happening.
Most Giants fans had relatively low expectations going into this season but with just half the season already behind us, the Giants have likely surpassed all these expectations. Standing at 7 wins and only 2 losses the Giants are second in the NFC East and 3rd in the NFC (as of 11/18). There are a plethora of contributing factors that may have caused this dramatic shift in production for the Giants, including new coaching and developing players finally stepping up. However, there is still the persisting worry that the Giants will slowly start falling apart and revert to their previous selves.
The largest and most likely reason for the Giants' success is the change of culture and leadership within the organization. Dave Gettleman, the previous General Manager who was hired in 2017, finally “retired” due to lack of success, and the Giants' front offense was given the opportunity to revamp and redesign the management of this team. The new general manager, Joe Schoen, decided the best course of action was that the entire team management needed a new look and fired ex-offensive coordinator, Joe Judge. Immediately after Schoen brought in Brian Daboll as the new head coach of the Giants, it is important to note that Brian Daboll was the offensive coordinator of the Bills and helped transform the Bills' offense and Bills QB, Josh Allen, into the juggernauts they are today. Along with Daboll, the new Giants management hired offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and defensive coordinator Don Martindale. These new additions to the Giant's management have entirely flipped the direction of the team. Daboll brought in new players to fill in some holes in the Giants' roster as well as worked heavily on developing some of the players already on the roster.
The most noticeable change that these new coordinators have brought to the team is both their ability and their willingness to change their game plan during the halftime of every game to adapt to their enemy and take advantage of what they’ve seen. The Giants have scored a majority of their points in the second half of games because of this ability to improvise and be flexible with what their opponent is giving them. Likewise, the Giants' defense has been good in the first half of games but even better in the second half, allowing only an average of 8 points in the second half of games this year (versus an average of 10 points in the first half of games).
Another large reason for the Giants' sudden success is the players that stand out and constantly bring their best to the team and are actively working on improving. The two largest examples of this are Quarterback Daniel Jones and Runningback Saquon Barkley. Daniel Jones is in the final year of his rookie contract, and although he has not been offered an extension as of yet, he is playing his best career football and doing everything he can to help this team win, and while the statistics do not reflect this, it is clear from watching him that he is completely committed to having this team succeed. With 11th Grader Jullian Burdess commenting “Daniel Jones is him”.
Saquon Barkley is not only back to being the superstar that everyone knew him as… he has also had noticeable improvement. Saquon can make something out of nothing, and make huge big plays that not only help the Giants offensively but also improve the team’s morale and flip the momentum of games. Barkley, who suffered an ACL injury early last year and spent most of last season recovering, is playing in a more intelligent way, he managed to keep his explosivity while also playing more conservatively and protecting himself in the process. His presence on the team has also proven to be instrumental in the team’s confidence which translates to more production from both the offense and defense. 11th Grader Julian Burdess also noted, “Saquon Barkley is also him”. And 11th grader Donavan Turncioglu said, “Originally I thought the Giants were just getting lucky, but with the comeback wins against the Ravens, Saquon has given hope to the NYG”.
There are also numerous players on the defense who deserve praise, and picking one over another would be a disservice to the defense, as the reason they have been so successful is due to their combined efforts alongside the creativity of defensive coordinator Mink Martindale. The Giants' defense is blitzing at a much higher rate now than under the previous management and it has been working, even without Leanord Williams, the best pass rusher on the team who is out with an injury. The Giants' cornerbacks and safeties are successfully keeping wide receivers locked up long enough for the defensive front to break through and bring pressure.
But even with all of this success and the evidence behind it, there is still the lingering feeling that the Giants’ success will be short-lived and that they will revert to their previous selves. The Giants entered the season with the fourth-easiest schedule out of the entire NFL which may have contributed to their ability to win games so far. But as of 11/20, they have the hardest remaining strength of schedule meaning that their remaining combination of opponents is the most difficult out of any NFL team.
Furthermore, there is always the possibility that the Giants have been winning out of luck, almost all of the Giants' wins this season have been by one touchdown or less, meaning while the Giants are winning, they are not showing a clear advantage over their opponents and have barely been able to beat them. Considering that they have one of the easiest schedules; if the Giants wanted to be thought of as true contenders they should be having more success against their opponents. A few of these wins have also been from the Giants capitalizing on ugly mistakes by the opposing teams such as in the Ravens game, where Ravens QB Lamar Jackson fumbled the ball as the Ravens were driving down the field in the closing minutes of the match, in an attempt to score and regain the lead they held for the majority of the game.
While it had been previously mentioned that the Giants' offense was able to make comebacks and show their strengths during the second half of games, QB Daniel Jones’ determination to win is not seen in his actual statistics, however. Throwing for less than 200 yards in most of the games this season with only 8 total passing touchdowns, the Giants' passing offense has underperformed. While there is a good explanation behind this as the Giants are on their second and third-string receivers, there should still be higher production for the Giants' Passing offense. Donavan Turncioglu argued, “ I… feel the Giants do need an entire new Wide Reciever core” with Julian Burdess similarly saying “Daniel Jones needs a wide receiver”. Given the current state of the NFL, not having a reliable passing offense will surely mean issues down the line and this becomes a very easy issue for opposing defenses to exploit. But assuming they can start producing in their passing offense, which will likely only be possible with the addition of a new WR, their chances of making the playoffs are still slim. The rest of the NFC East is filled with teams that are also experiencing a fair amount of success, with the rival Philadelphia Eagles being the only undefeated team left in the NFL, and the Cowboys having only one more loss than the Giants, the Giant's playoff hopes are looking slim.
But currently, the Giants are the best they have looked in over six years, and Giants fans have nothing but optimism for the new Giants management and the future of this storied franchise.