Obviously, the NY Giants should be trying to beat every team they play in 2020, but the team’s main goal should be to end two embarrassing divisional loss streaks.
Listen, it’s been tough to be a NY Giants fan the past few years. Clearly, just the team being awful in general, winning just 12 games in the past three years is hard enough to swallow. Yet, the worst part of it all is how Big Blue has performed against its two biggest rivals during that span.
The NY Giants have lost a combined 13 straight games to the hated Eagles and Cowboys, an unprecedented level of embarrassment. The Cowboys have swept the series in three straight years while the Eagles’ streak dates back even longer one more game into 2016.
That makes six straight wins for Dak Prescott against the G-men as he’s been healthy for every game, unlike Carson Wentz.
I recently wrote about what an ideal and realistic 2020 season should look like for the NY Giants and you better believe ending both of those streaks ranks at the top of the list.
This must have been what it felt like during the ‘wilderness years’ of the ’70s, but hopefully, we have the right quarterback to turn things around in these crucial games. Daniel Jones outplayed what most – if not all – people thought he could last season, despite the fumbles, and has done everything he could do to improve in the 2020 offseason.
Saquon Barkley could also have one of his classic big games to end the streak, almost like he seemed like he was going to in last year’s season opener against Dallas when he got loose for a 59-yard run to set up an early touchdown on the team’s first drive.
The NY Giants held on off the strength of that run for just one quarter, as the Cowboys came out rolling the second quarter on their way to a 35-17 route that wasn’t even that close.
Hopefully, with new head coach Joe Judge leading the way, delegating responsibilities, and building around what his players do best like he says he will lead to both of these streaks being ended in 2020.
What are the actual chances the NY Giants break both streaks?
Even though I don’t think the NY Giants are going to win a ton of football games in 2020 (I think where Vegas has them pegged at 6.5 wins is fair), I just have a gut feeling Big Blue busts through and finds a way to beat both the Cowboys and Eagles once each.
Those same Vegas books have the Cowboys and Eagles as being three games better than the Giants, as both have their over/under win totals are set at 9.5.
Finally, the NY Giants won’t open up on the road as the ‘America’s Game of the Week’ in Dallas as they seem to every year, and I think that plays out well for Big Blue. Daniel Jones will have four games to mesh with new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett before he’s tasked with first facing the Cowboys at Dallas in Week 5.
Just think how sweet it would be for Garrett to get revenge, things like that get the good momentum rolling.
Big Blue first faces the Eagles in Week 7 in Philadelphia in ‘prime time’ (doesn’t it always seem like we play in Philly in October on TNF too), a situation they have fared extremely poorly in recent years.
If I had to guess right now, I’d say the NY Giants find a way to beat the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 5 and then get the best of the Eagles at Metlife in Week 10.
Just winning those two games alone would revere Joe Judge to NY Giants fans.