The New York Giants don’t have the highest expectations going into the 2015 season. Much of this is about their recent struggles; winning just 13 games in two seasons. Could the Giants be the surprise team of the year?
The Giants have a few problems that give fans some rightful reservations. The offensive line is a major question mark, the defensive secondary is an area of concern and the front seven has its issues. The Giants were very active this offseason but some of their problems from last season still remain.
Related: New York Giants Profiles: Eli Manning
The Giants however could be the surprise team of the 2015 season. Every year the NFL has a team that surpasses the lowly goals bestowed upon them, earning relevancy when the weather gets cold and the football gets important. The Giants could honestly be one of these teams. There are a number of reasons why.
The Giants have what appears to be one of the easier schedules. The NFC East always has some grueling games, but the Washington Redskins twice a year isn’t daunting. The NFC South was abysmal last season, and it still isn’t a juggernaut of a division to play. The AFC East games feature tough defenses but only the Patriots and Dolphins have the offensive firepower to keep up with Eli Manning and company.
The Giants have one surplus that any team will be jealous of. The Giants have Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Larry Donnell for Manning to throw the ball to. The Giants have Rueben Randle and Shane Vereen as well. Simply put the team has more firepower than most teams could even dream of.
Yes the offensive line will have to step up for the team to get the most out of their weapons, that goes without saying. But last year the offensive line wasn’t wonderful and the team had a top 10 offensive attack. Manning threw for 4,410 yards and 30 touchdowns. The offense sputtered at times because of the offensive line, but no offense is perfect.
If the offensive line is good enough there isn’t a secondary that the Giants face that will be prepared to match up with them. Manning and the Giants run a quick striking offense that really began to heat up in the second half of the season. The offensive line needs to be just good enough to let Manning show off his quick release.
Related: Ben McAdoo’s Offense: 3 Big Things
The Giants will probably have to win shoot outs to win football games. Their defense was horrendous in 2014 and with the Jason Pierre-Paul uncertainty and the inexperience in the secondary it is hard to bet on the unit this season. The team has to score points, but there’s no indication that they can’t light up the scoreboard.
The Giants scored 23.8 points per game last season which ranked 13th in the NFL. The Giants offense will be even better this season. With a full season under his belt in McAdoo’s offense, Manning is poised to unleash his best performances against NFL defenses. The combination of Cruz and Beckham Jr. is surely going to be that of legend. Donnell will become one of the league’s best red zone threats.
The point is that the Giants could be a team that is hard to handle. I’m not saying the Giants are Super Bowl contenders or anything. I mean there are a lot of wholes on this roster and we got to take one thing at a time. What I am saying is that it wouldn’t be shocking if the Giants competed for a playoff spot. They have too much talent not to compete.
Next: New York Giants: 5 Critical Matchups of 2015
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