The New York Giants aren’t a team that people are predicting to win the NFC East, but if certain things go well for them this season then they might shock the league. The defense has the potential to take a big step, the offense has weapons and an offensive line, and the Giants have a strong backup to go to if things go south for Daniel Jones.
Brian Daboll is entering his first year as head coach, and fans shouldn’t expect him to lead this Giants team to a division title. The roster he has, though, has a “win now” type of talent.
If Jones isn’t playing up to par, then the new coach should be quick to turn to veteran QB Tyrod Taylor. Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, along with the improved offensive line should help whichever quarterback is playing.
In addition, this defense has potential. New York’s secondary and pass-rushing unit could certainly disrupt opposing offenses with who they have.
The NFC East isn’t a strong division. The Dallas Cowboys defense has flaws, and the offensive line has struggles. The Philadelphia Eagles could do some damage, but Jalen Hurts hasn’t proven to be a reliable quarterback yet. The Washington Commanders are just a mess, but the Giants need to take advantage of teams like them.
The Giants also got blessed with a pretty light schedule this season. Just because it’s Daboll’s rookie head coach season, it doesn’t mean he can’t help this New York team capture their first division title since 2011. Here’s four ways they can get the job done.
4. The Giants need to take advantage of the bad teams they play
The Giants opponents this season aren’t anything special. If they can capitalize in games against the bad teams, then that will allow them to pick up a lot of ground in an already weak division.
In the first four weeks, New York has an actual shot to start off 3-1. The Tennessee Titans will be hard to beat in Week 1, but the next three contests are all winnable games. The Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears all have serious flaws. Dallas will be a dogfight, but it’s definitely a winnable game.
The Giants should also be able to beat the following teams on their schedule:
- Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 7)
- Seattle Seahawks (Week 8)
- Houston Texans (Week 10)
- Detroit Lions (Week 11)
- Washington Commanders (Week 13)
- Washington Commanders (Week 15)
That’s six games the Giants should win easily based on the talent they have on their roster. Outside of those games too, the Giants can still face the Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and the Philadelphia Eagles twice. Those will be tough games, but the Giants are capable of winning some of those battles.
Was looking at predictive strength of schedule based on betting win totals this morning. The top five easiest schedules?
— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) September 4, 2022
1. Eagles
2. Giants
3. Colts
4. Bears
5. Commanders
Playing in the NFC East (or NFC in general) would be fun.
Obviously the key to winning the division is beating up on your division opponents, but the Giants don’t necessarily need to do that. If they can split the season series against the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, it lines them up for success with the remaining teams on their schedule.
They should be able to handle the teams mentioned above which is six wins, in addition to at least two from the four weeks that give them eight total wins. If they can manage to win a game each against Dallas and Philadelphia, then they could easily set themselves up for a run for the NFC East.