3 reasons the NY Giants will win the NFC East, and 2 why they won't

With the calendar officially turning to July, the countdown to training camp kicking off is on for the NY Giants. While the countdown still lingers on for the Giants to get a potential long-term deal done with Saquon Barkley and with most fans still having eyes fully glued to the July 17 deadline, they are also fully attentive to the July 26 date for the start of camp.

This is the first time since the end of the 2016 season where the Giants are coming off a playoff season and the anticipation for the 2023 campaign is at its highest. Giants fans feel like this team is done with the losing and they can be a playoff team again like they were a season ago.

No longer are the Giants winning just four or five games each season and stuck in the 22-59 demise that they were in from 2017-2021. The "Medium Pepsi Days" as some called it are long gone. The Giants are back to serious football. After the 2022 season, the Giants have given the fan base a reason to believe in again. In this peice, we're taking a look at three reasons the G-Men can win the NFC East this year. However, we're also looking at two things that will stop them:

Why they will: Teams don't repeat at champions

If you look at the history of the NFC East division, there hasn't been a repeat at champion since the 2003 and 2004 season by the Philadelphia Eagles. So, this is something that we must take into consideration leading up to Week 1.

In each of the last three seasons, the other three teams have been the division winner with the Washington Commanders (then, Football Team) winning in 2020, the Dallas Cowboys winning in 2021 and the Eagles winning in 2022. So, if you go by that logic, you would think it could be the Giants turn.

The fan base down in Texas might think they have a case to win the division, but then again, winning the division is the only thing the Cowboys and their supporters have had to celebrate since a Super Bowl win back in 1995.

The Eagles on paper look good enough to win the division, but again, teams haven't repeated as a division winner in over 20 years. The Giants have just as good of a shot to win as the other teams do. Don't write them off here.

Why they won't: The Eagles are still the team to beat

Ric Flair once said, "To be the man, you have to beat the man." Right now, the Eagles are the man in the NFC East. They are the reigning NFC East Champions, as well as the NFC Champions heading into the 2023 season. While they did lose some players to free agency, they also drafted very well and are expected to return a lot of the team we saw make it to the Super Bowl last season.

The Eagles not only went 14-3 for the regular season, but they also went 4-2 in the division and were 2-0 in the regular season against the Giants, plus that horrific 38-7 beating the Eagles handed to the Giants in the NFC Divisional Round. Most saw the game as a measuring stick as far as where the two franchises were.

The Eagles were at the top of the NFC and NFL class, while the Giants were not. If that is still the case, then maybe we will see the team that did repeat as division champions from 20 years ago do it again in 2023. It might not mean the Giants won't be a playoff team, but the Eagles are still a team loaded with talent who can make a run again.

Why they will: The Giants improved drastically from 2022

The Giants made a $160 investment into the 2023 season thinking they will take the next step as far as their play goes. That was the deal the Giants gave to Daniel Jones after his 2022 season where he led the Giants to the playoffs and a playoff win as well.

In order to double down on that $160 million investment in Jones, the Giants needed to give him additional reinforcements to make sure the team, especially the offense, trends upwards. They traded for Darren Waller, drafted Jalin Hyatt, signed Parris Campbell and are still working on getting Barkley back under contract. On top of that, the Giants added perhaps one of the best centers in the draft in John Michael Schmitz.

A year ago, several of the Giants key weapons were either injured, traded, or just didn't show up on game day. Two of those players are expected to return in Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson and if they can remain healthy, they could be key contributors in the Giants offense in 2023. Two key contributors from the passing game in 2022 are also back in Isaiah Hodgins and Darius Slayton. Given the fact that Kenny Golladay wasn't a factor during the season and Kadarius Toney was traded at midseason at the deadline, it was up to those two to be the Giants one-two punch in the passing game.

Jones has a variety of options to get the ball down the field to. If the offensive line can improve from what they were last year, it should give him more time to scan the field and find players like Waller, Hyatt, Hodgins or Slayton for big yardage. Plus, Barkley too, as he is also a key in the passing game as well as the run game.

Many feel that the Giants are trending upwards and given the fact that not only was Brian Daboll the NFL's Coach of the Year, but Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was a finalist in several head coaching opportunities and could be one again with the improvements in the offense. Kafka could really bolster his chances again if the Giants are even more improved on offense. With the weapons added, they should be.

Why they won't be: Injury bug

Injuries in the NFL are something that teams can never prepare for, but generally, always happen. It's unfortunate, but they seem to always happen to every single team.

In some years, it seems like the injury bug tends to hit the Giants harder than most teams, especially when they have had seasons where they have anywhere from 20-30 players on the injury list or Injured Reserve. Barkley's ACL tear in 2020 put a damper on their season when it took him out for the final 14 games, as did Jones' neck injury for the final six games back in 2021. Fortunately for the Giants, both players were healthy and were keys to the 2022 team that made the playoffs.

The Giants will need both of them healthy again, as they will for several of their key players on both sides of the ball. Players like Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Adoree' Jackson, Xavier McKinney and Leonard Williams all experienced injuries at some point during the 2022 season and for various amounts of games. Having them healthy on defense would help the Giants chances of winning.

However, if any were to miss significant time, it can hurt the Giants chances of stopping teams from putting points on the board. It goes for the other side of the ball, as the Giants will need Jones, Barkley, Waller and Andrew Thomas to remain healthy and on the field.

If the Giants can avoid injuries, it'll help their chances. But again, there is no preparing for them when they happen, so the toughest opponent the Giants could face would be the injury bug.

Why they will: The coaching staff

We've seen what good coaching can do to a team. Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin were part of two championship teams and their leadership abilities were key for those Super Bowl teams.

A lot of people see the same qualities with Daboll, who in his first season, not only led the Giants to the postseason and won a playoff game, but also took home the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year Award for his efforts. Many had the Giants pegged as a five-win team for 2022, yet, Daboll took that team and gave them the confidence to win and finish football games that would have been lost back in 2021.

When Daboll was hired by the Giants, he went out and assembled a staff full of diversity and culture, especially when it came to winning and success. Kafka came from the Andy Reid coaching tree and Wink Martindale came from John Harbaugh's.

Both were not only considered successful assistant coaches and coordinators, but they were also finalists for several head coaching jobs during the offseason. Seeing both Kafka and Martindale return for a second season will give the Giants more continuity and chemistry.

Many had felt that Jones' career was floundering before Daboll got there. Daboll, along with Kafka, may have not only saved it, but unlocked it with what Jones can do on the field. Barkley was already a tremendous player to begin with. Under Daboll, Barkley had one of his best overall seasons since his rookie year in 2018. With Martindale coaching, someone like Lawrence saw the level of his game go from good to great.

The Giants have one of the better coaching staffs in the league and they will only continue to get better with experience and the team's success moving forward will be the result. The Giants believe in Daboll and it shows on and off the field.

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