The New York Giants are in a pretty favorable position as they put their bye week in the rearview.
Although they didn’t play on Sunday, they still came out as winners, with the rest of the NFC East imploding in real time. Nothing was sweeter than the Dallas Cowboys’ 14-point fourth-quarter collapse, but the Philadelphia Eagles extending their losing streak to six games was a close second. Even better, the G-Men have the chance to make it seven this coming Sunday afternoon.
It’ll be J.J. McCarthy back under center for the second time as Big Blue’s starter. The former top-10 pick has looked great in his five quarters of action this year, but Philly will have a bit more tape to prepare for than the Houston Texans did in Week 7, when McCarthy won his first start for New York.
Read more: GMENHQ Mailbag: Future QB headaches and a whole lot of Jon Runyan
The Giants are sitting atop the division with a respectable 4-2-1 record, although it certainly doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of belief from the outside that they actually deserve a playoff spot in an NFC East that might just be the weakest division in football. Even so, someone’s gotta win it, and there’s no time like the present to put their foot on the gas and come out of the bye week like a bat out of hell.
Here are six things Harbaugh and Co. can prove in their first week back from the bye.
6 things the Giants can prove coming out of their bye week
- J.J. McCarthy
- Cam Skattebo
- Kayvon Thibodeaux
- Trade for defensive lineman
- John Harbaugh
- Did someone say playoffs?
J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy can make Kevin O’Connell look a little less like a QB whisperer
Kevin O’Connell has spent the better part of his Minnesota tenure being praised as one of the league's greatest quarterback whisperers, but McCarthy might be putting that reputation through the ultimate stress test.
The former 10th overall pick only completed 57.6% of his passes, throwing 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in 10 games for the Vikings last year. Minnesota apparently saw enough to ship him to The Big Apple for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Funny how McCarthy suddenly looks like a completely different QB under Giants OC Matt Nagy. And with Kyler Murray struggling in Minnesota this season (1,022 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions through six games), maybe it’s fair to start asking whether O’Connell’s magic touch has been a little overstated.
Now, I’m not going to pretend five quarters of good football erase everything McCarthy did or didn't do in purple and gold. If the 23-year-old can follow up his impressive Week 7 showing by carving up an Eagles team that’s on the brink of collapse, KOC and Co. might have some explaining to do.
Cam Skattebo
Cam Skattebo can prove the Giants don’t need a blockbuster RB trade
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline fast approaching, everyone and their mother's cousin's guinea pig seems to have an opinion on which running back the Giants should target. Jonathan Taylor, Tony Pollard, Saquon Barkley, Omarion Hampton, Ashton Jeanty -- you name it.
Before general manager Joe Schoen starts slinging draft picks New York barely has to begin with, maybe we should see what Cam Skattebo can do coming out of the bye.
The 23-year-old is dealing with a hamstring injury, and between that and his ongoing adventures in Harbaugh’s doghouse after some costly fumbles, his season hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Getting back to his usual run-defenders-into-the-earth's-crust ways against Philly would be a pretty awesome reminder of why Giants fans fell in love with him in the first place.
With Tyrone Tracy Jr. expected back before the end of the season (currently on IR) and Devin Singletary still hanging around, I’m not overly convinced Big Blue needs to spend a premium on another back.
Skatt is coming off the best performance of his young career against the Texans with 124 rushing yards and a score. All the guy needs to do is prove he can hold onto the freaking football.
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Kayvon Thibodeaux can prove he's worth not trading
You and I have the same number of sacks as Kayvon Thibodeaux this year.
That's not exactly what the G-Men had in mind when they took Thibs fifth overall in 2022. But with Brian Burns out for the year and Chauncey Golston on IR, Big Blue isn’t exactly in a position to start handing out pass rushers to the highest bidder for fun.
For the sake of giving credit where credit is due, the 25-year-old might not have a sack this season, but he is (at least according to advanced metrics) making an impact against the run. His 71.9 PFF run-defense grade ranks 25th among edge defenders, so he’s apparently doing something right.
Still, with free agency looming and the trade deadline a week away, the former Oregon standout could really use a statement game against Philly. If he can finally start getting to the QB, it’ll make Schoen’s decision to keep him on the team a whole lot easier to defend. Because right now, the Giants need him more than they’d care to admit.
Trade for defensive lineman
Giants can prove they’re serious about winning with a trade deadline move... or two
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Giants are heading into the trade deadline with a reason to buy, and I’d love to see Big Blue act like it.
Sitting at 4-2-1 atop the NFC East, Big Blue has a legitimate shot at playing football in January, but the roster is far from perfect. The defensive line could desperately use another big body next to DJ Reader, and don’t even get me started on the interior offensive line (looking at you, Jon Runyan).
Now, I’m not suggesting Schoen start handing out 2027 draft picks like Halloween candy, especially when New York only has five right now. But finding a reasonably priced upgrade or two would go a long way toward showing this team they’re serious about making the most of a surprisingly promising season. Who would've thought we'd be here five weeks ago?
John Harbaugh
John Harbaugh can prove that he's still got the bye week magic
If there’s one thing Harby knows how to do, it’s win coming out of a bye week. The 64-year-old has a borderline illegal 15-3 record in his first game back from the break.
Of course, there’s the small matter of Big Blue losing 13 straight games at Lincoln Financial Field. But with the Eagles riding a six-game losing streak, Harbs has a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and show Giants fans that his post-bye magic made the trip from Baltimore to New York.
Did someone say playoffs?
Big Blue can prove they deserve to be taken more seriously as playoff contenders
Nobody outside of New York seems particularly convinced the Giants are true playoff contenders. But you gotta put bad teams away when you’re supposed to, especially when they’re division rivals.
The Eagles are on the brink of a meltdown, and if Big Blue wants people to start taking them being first in the division seriously, going into the Linc and beating a team they haven’t won a road game against since 2013 would be a good start.
The Giants have spent enough years being the team everyone else circles as an easy win. It’s about time they started returning the favor.
Add us as a preferred source on Google