There is no doubt that the vibes are different in the Meadowlands this season for a variety of reasons. The addition of Abdul Carter gives the New York Giants arguably the best defensive line in the league, and there is hope that Jaxson Dart can be the answer at quarterback moving forward. The G-Men also have one of the league’s top young receivers in Malik Nabers and have surrounded him with other talented pass catchers.
And yet, the national media isn’t convinced that Big Blue will be that much better in 2025. In fact, most believe they’ll be just about the same this year despite all of the moves they made this offseason. If that’s the case, it’s going to be hard to justify running it back with the same leadership in 2026.
Related: Biggest winners and losers from electric first week of Giants training camp
In a recent article by Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, he slotted the Giants at No. 26 in his latest power rankings going into the 2025 season. He put them behind teams like the Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons, which is fascinating considering all four teams have some significant question marks at the same positions. Here is a snippet of what Vacchiano had to say about the Giants going into a pivotal season:
"They did a really nice job of rebuilding their roster and plugging holes in the offseason. They’ve got the best quarterback they’ve had in years in Russell Wilson, which should help an offense that has been dismal for most of the last decade. He and receiver Malik Nabers could really make some noise. "Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports
New York Giants get no love in latest training camp power rankings
Time will tell if Wilson is an upgrade over Daniel Jones and the rest of the quarterbacks the Giants had on the roster last season, but he gives them a proven quarterback who should be able to throw the ball down the field.
But as always, the biggest question will be whether or not he can elevate the offense. The defense should be much improved, but if the Giants don’t get above-average quarterback play, it’s hard to see them thriving in the NFC East with their schedule.
The hope is that Dart will eventually be the quarterback who can lead the offense, but it seems likely that the Giants are going to exercise patience here. They aren’t going to throw him out there until he is ready, and the hope is that Wilson can be a good enough bridge to buy the team and Dart a few months.
How many wins will the Giants get this season? That all depends on how Wilson plays. If it’s like the version we saw in Pittsburgh last year, it’s hard to have much confidence that the Giants will be much better this season. While No. 26 feels low in the power rankings for this new-and-improved team, it’s probably about right until they prove that they are better in 2025.