After starting 0-5, the NY Giants have clawed their way back to relevance in the NFC East but there is still much work to be done. We break down the team’s remaining games here.
If the NY Giants want to return to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2016, they will need to continue their improved play they’ve shown in recent weeks. There is very little room for mistakes and the improved play won’t matter if their future games don’t end in wins.
The Giants have had the good fortune of playing in the historically weak NFC East in 2020. The NY Giants are 3-2 in the division with one game remaining at home versus Dallas. They have won two consecutive games for the first time in 2020 and both have been within the division. The team must continue its strong play on defense along with continuing to develop and improve their offense.
New York is currently 3-7. They are 1.5 games out of 1st place in the NFC East, only trailing the 3-5-1 Eagles. The Giants’ two easiest games remaining on the schedule are their next game vs Cincinnati and their Week 17 finale against Dallas. The four games sandwiched between those two games are all against teams with winning records and playoff aspirations. The schedule has provided Big Blue little-to-no relief all year and the sledding won’t get any easier over the last six games.
Here, we breakdown the six remaining games starting from easiest to hardest games remaining.
#6. Week 12: NY Giants at Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM
If the Giants are serious about making a playoff run, it starts next week with a statement in Cincy. There can’t be any letdowns or disappointments next Sunday. The team should still be riding high off their two-game winning streak and coming off a bye.
The Giants are also set to get some reinforcements and could return some players at key positions such as Tae Crowder, Xavier McKinney, and Oshane Ximines. This will be huge for stopping the Bengals’ rookie sensation, Joe Burrow.
The reigning Heisman winner will look to spoil New York’s win streak with a win of his own. The 2-6-1 Bengals shouldn’t be and can’t be taken lightly. The Giants’ last time in Cincinnati was in 2012 where they put up an embarrassing performance, losing 31-13.
The result needs to be different this time.
The last thing the NY Giants can afford is a setback against an inferior opponent. Like Big Blue, Cincinnati has lost respectfully in close games all season. They have been in every game this year except two. The Bengals have played seven one-score games so far, going 2-4-1 in those games. They are a scrappy, tough, and hard-nosed football team.
The Giants must take advantage of the Bengals’ struggles and put their own mistakes behind them next week. If the Giants can’t win this one, it’s hard to pick them or expect them to win any of their remaining games.
#5. Week 17: NY Giants vs Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 PM
The last time these two teams met, it was filled with nothing but disasters. First off, the main takeaway from the NY Giants’ heartbreaking Week 5 loss was that the Cowboys still had the Giants’ number. Looking closer, the game was a crushing blow to both sides.
This game will always be remembered for Dak Prescott’s gruesome broken ankle injury. It’s always difficult seeing any player get carted off, it’s even worse when it is a team’s quarterback and one of the league’s brightest stars. Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury has completely changed the feeling surrounding this Dallas team. He was their unquestioned leader, the face of their franchise, and the glue that kept everything together. His absence on the field has been massive as Dallas has completely failed to replace Dak with three different quarterbacks.
To make matters worse for the Giants, this loss came with some hurt of their own. Right as he seemed to finally hit his stride, Lorenzo Carter went down with a season-ending torn Achilles injury. The Giants blew a 14-point 1st half lead along with a late three-point lead in the 4th quarter.
This game was a complete fiasco for NY.
They pulled out every string imaginable to get a win and then some. The Giants offense ran a flea-flicker, a tackle eligible cross-field pass for a scoring play, a fake field goal for a touchdown, and the team’s first rushing touchdown by a tight end since 1996.
And they still lost.
It’s very hard to put that into words and realize we’re talking about the NY Giants. They have seemingly made a concerted effort to not be a gimmicky-tricky team since Tom Coughlin took over in 2004.
Big Blue finally ended their eight-game losing streak to Philly at home last week. Can they finally do the same Week 17 against Dallas? All streaks must come to an end, and I think the Giants’ magic number is seven here and they beat Dallas to close out their 2020 regular season.
Now, the big question is will that game be meaningful? It’s very possible one (or both teams) are still vying for the NFC East title come Week 17 and the stakes would be incredibly high if it was a “win and in” situation. The last time this happened with NY and Dallas was in 2011 when the Giants took down Tony Romo and the Cowboys at home in Week 17 to lock up the NFC East title. The team then went on another fairytale, improbable Super Bowl run, New York’s second in four years.
#4. NY Giants vs Cleveland Browns, 1:00 PM
This game was supposed to be one of the most anticipated non-conference games for the Giants in a while. Had he not torn his ACL, the ex-Giant superstar wideout, Odell Beckham Jr., was set to face his former team for the first time since being traded in the same stadium that he electrified for five strong seasons.
Now that Odell is not playing, the attention turns elsewhere. Let’s start with Baker Mayfield.
Many NY Giants fans have not forgotten Baker’s interview with GQ from two offseasons ago. Whether he meant or intended to, it ended up in writing of a national magazine that Baker said some choice words about the Giants selecting Daniel Jones in the 2019 draft.
Baker told GQ, “I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones. Blows my mind. … Some people overthink it. That’s where people go wrong. They forget you’ve gotta win.” Baker has done little to nothing to back up those words since saying them before the 2019 season.
If that isn’t bulletin board material, what is then? Danny Dimes will likely want to come out, prove a point, and make Baker eat his words. This game will be a slugfest for NY. Cleveland is a talented, well-coached team that is fighting for a Wild Card in the packed AFC Wild Card race.
This game will be critical for both teams as they look to break their playoff droughts, although much different lengths. The Giants’ one playoff appearance in eight years feels like an eternity. It could be worse Giants fans, Cleveland football hasn’t tasted playoff football in January since 2002, the longest current streak in the NFL.
#3. NY Giants vs Arizona Cardinals, 1:00 PM
This game is a revenge game from last year where Kyler Murray and Chase Edmunds embarrassed the Giants in their own stadium. Edmunds, filled in for an injured David Johnson and the local kid from Fordham torched the Giants defense to the tune of 126 yards and three touchdowns.
It was an embarrassing performance for NY as both teams were going through their own struggles and growing pains with their rookie quarterbacks.
Kyler Murray was the only quarterback selected ahead of Jones in 2019. Since then, their career trajectories have taken different turns. Kyler won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award last year and is now a legit NFL MVP candidate in year two. His legs and arm power is a crazy combo and makes him a dynamic threat from any part of the field.
The Giants’ defense has improved significantly from last year’s horrid numbers. Last year’s game against Arizona was a good old butt-kicking and the Cardinals punched the Giants in the mouth from the get-go.
That won’t be the case this year as the team will likely be better prepared and better suited to handle Murray and stop his Cardinals offense. This game will be a great measuring stick for both the Giants to see where they are at as a team and competing against one of the NFL’s most improved and most impressive teams of 2020. The Giants can use the Cardinals as a blueprint for how to quickly change the outlook and fortunes of an NFL team in such a short time period. It will also be fascinating to see how Jones and Murray battle and duel and how Jones stacks up against his competition head-to-head in year two.
Lastly, look for Isiah Simmons and Andrew Thomas to possibly matchup against each other. Several draft analysts and Giants’ fans clamored for the team to draft the do-it-all linebacker. That reputation hasn’t been the case yet with Simmons but he is starting to find his groove. NY’s decision to not take Simmons and go with Thomas is a pick that will be discussed for a long time.
#2. NY Giants at Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 PM
This game will most certainly rank in the NY Giants’ top three toughest games for the entire season. Baltimore is loaded on both sides of the ball with high-end talent in abundance all over the roster. It all starts and ends with their rockstar quarterback, Lamar “MVP” Jackson. The “Big Truss” man will give the New York defense one of its toughest matchups in recent memory.
Simply put, Lamar Jackson is a unicorn at the quarterback position. There is no quarterback in the league that possesses his raw speed and natural athletic abilities that can’t be taught or reciprocated. He is a weekly highlight machine with a penchant for exposing defenders and making them look silly while whiffing at air as #8 has already run right by them.
Big Blue must do everything in its’ power to keep Lamar in the pocket and make him uncomfortable throwing the ball downfield. It’s no secret that Lamar’s kryptonite is that he is not a fully-developed pocket passer and he struggles to push the ball downfield. Just last week, it was evidently on display that Lamar was uncomfortable throwing the ball down six on his last two drives in the 4th quarter. When he did throw, it was usually a quick or short pass short of the first down line or a wide-open receiver downfield.
The Giants must reciprocate the Patriots’ defensive gameplan for the Ravens from last week. Lamar doesn’t want to throw often and his offense has become predictable as defenses have started to pick up on what made the Ravens so successful last year.
John Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’ll have his team ready to go for this cold-weather, December game in Baltimore. Joe Judge must do the same and hope to pull a massive upset to better the team’s chances at the playoffs.
#1: NY Giants at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 PM
This is the NY Giants’ toughest remaining game.
There are will be many concerns for New York when they enter Seattle in two weeks.
Facing a Super Bowl-winning Coach? Check✅.
Facing a Super Bowl-winning Quarterback and top 2020 MVP candidate? Check✅.
Traveling across the country from Coast to Coast? Check✅.
This game is the ultimate challenge for the 2020 NY Giants. They are facing the NFC’s cream of the crop in terms of 2020 success and the last decade of overwhelming success in Seattle.
It all starts with Pete Carroll, the league’s oldest coach up until Romeo Crennel’s interim takeover of the Houston Texans this year. Carroll is one of the smartest football minds in the league along with being one of the league’s most popular coaches amongst the players. Carroll’s player-first reputation and team-building approach has served him well in building such a successful program in Seattle.
Of course, not all the credit can go to Pete Carroll. Russell Wilson has been a superstar quarterback consistently for the lasts several years. He has reached the pinnacle of his profession and should have another Super Bowl ring had there never been a dubious play call at the goal line (Looking at you, Coach Carroll). Russ could very well have been the leader of the NFL’s newest dynasty, but that never came to fruition. This year, Russ has again taken his game to a different level and has been a leading candidate all year for the league’s MVP award.
Although the 12th man won’t be present at this game, it doesn’t make it any easier for NY as they make by far their longest road trip of the season. It will be interesting to see how Coach Judge handles the travel week and gets the team ready for a massive NFC game, New York’s first after the bye. The margin for error is razor-thin and Big Blue can’t afford a blowout loss like they have become accustomed to against Seattle in their last few matchups.