Dig into your closet and find those lucky gameday socks because the New York Giants are just mere days away from kicking off their 2018 regular season!
New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and GM Dave Gettleman have already taken measures to erase any remaining residue left by last season’s 3-13 campaign. Jason Pierre-Paul? Gone. Weston Richburg? See ya. Justin Pugh? It was nice while it lasted. Davis Webb? Cut. *tear rolls softly down cheek*
The message from the front office and staff is clear: The guys on the current roster are expected to win now and win often. Right now, Week 1 will be a challenge right out of the gate as Big Blue faces off against a Super Bowl contender and 2017’s AFC Conference Championship runner-up, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jaguars’ head coach Doug Marrone has built a formidable defense down South, which ranked first in total passing yards surrendered (2,718 yards) and second in points per game allowed (16.8 pts.) last year. Superstars Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and rookie sensation Saquon Barkley will have their hands full this Sunday.
New York Giants fans, get used to it.
The G-Men have one of the nastiest schedules in the NFL to start the first half of the season with Weeks 2-7 featuring the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.
Yikes!
No worries. With the syllabus laid out, the New Yor Giants can plan ahead for success. Let’s take a look at five things they will need to accomplish this Sunday to steal a “W” and open their season with a third of their win total from 2017.