The NY Giants have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 and life is good for everyone out there. First-year head coach Brian Daboll has turned around what was once one of the worst teams in the NFL into a franchise that can be proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish thus far in 2022.
Daboll and his coaching staff are being rightly praised for the job they have done, but it takes great players as well, and the Giants have plenty of those. Here’s a look at four of them who exceeded expectations during the regular season, regardless of what happens in Week 18 vs. the Eagles.
4. Wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins
The big weakness on the Giants roster is their wide receiver room. The previous general manager, Dave Gettleman, tried to fix the issue by signing Kenny Golladay to a $72 million contract. This was a disaster of a deal for New York, which benched Golladay earlier in the season for his poor performance, and he looks set to be released in the offseason as a cap casualty.
The Giants have had to field an offense consisting of receivers not much better than those on most other teams’ practice squads. Isaiah Hodgins was released by the Buffalo Bills after playing just two games this season. He was acquired by the Giants on waivers shortly after and has been excellent ever since.
Hodgins has played in eight games since joining the Giants back in early November and has 37 receptions from 48 targets, 392 yards and four touchdowns. His best game for New York came in the Week 16 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, recording eight receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown.
Hodgins has exceeded expectations, going from almost signing for the Bills practice squad to being the current best receiver on a playoff-bound team. He must be back in East Rutherford next campaign.
3. Safety Julian Love
Julian Love, a fourth-year safety, was nothing more than a rotational depth piece in 2021. That all changed in 2022 as he and Xavier McKinney have formed an excellent safety duo for the Giants defense.
After McKinney was injured during an ATV accident during the bye week and missed multiple games, Love overcame the challenge thrown his way, and was never once a concern for the team. The reward for exceeding the expectations set for Love will certainly be a contract extension in the offseason.
The 24 year old will not be short of options in free agency, but it is in the best interest of the Giants to offer a multi-year extension, keeping Love in New York and maintaining the duo of Love and Mckinney together for many years to come. He has been a rockstar this year and a defensive leader for this squad. Joe Schoen must make him happy and do so sooner than later.
2. Quarterback Daniel Jones
We can not talk about the Giants 2022 season without Daniel Jones being at the forefront of the conversation. Daboll was highly praised for his work in Buffalo as offensive coordinator and his role in developing Josh Allen into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Daboll has managed to bring the best out of Jones this season, and now it looks as If the No. 6 overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft will be the Giants franchise quarterback going forward.
Entering Week 18, Jones has 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, five interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 60.4, which is the fifth-highest in the league. No player has done more with less this season than the Giants fourth-year quarterback, and that is an impressive accomplishment considering the lack of talented weapons Jones has to throw to.
Schoen will have the difficult task of negotiating a deal with Jones this offseason. A good problem to have considering his 2022 breakout season. To say Jones has exceeded expectations would be an understatement – he’s overcome everything thrown at him this campaign. Giants fans are thrilled to see the hard work ethic finally start to pay off.
1. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence
Dexter Lawrence has always been a good player for the Giants, and the pairing of him and Leonard Williams has been one of the team’s strengths for a while now. But in years past, he was always the second best player in that duo, with Williams being the all around more imposing defender. This all changed this season, with Lawrence developing into a ferocious pass-rusher. He’s one of the best interior defensive lineman in the game.
The 2019 first-round pick has the highest Pro Football Focus grade out of all interior defenders, with a grade of 92. Lawrence has been one of the best players in the NFL this season and is on pace to being named an All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Lawrence’s fifth year option kicks in next season, but it is in the teams best interest to offer a contract extension this offseason, keeping the 25 year old in East Rutherford for the long haul. The Giants are set to have the third-most cap space this offseason without considering cuts and restructures, so there is cap room to make a deal work.
Lawrence has been the Giants best player by some margin this season and has completely exceeded the expectations, going from being a good run-stop defender into an All-Pro nightmare for any offensive lineman he has come up against.
4 bold predictions for the NY Giants vs. Eagles in Week 18
The NY Giants have clinched their playoff spot, but there’s still one more game in the regular season, and it comes against the Philadelphia Eagles.