2. The Giants will bounce back vs. the NFC East
Looking at the NFC East, Philadelphia is still the powerhouse of the division, but do the Giants finally have an edge on the Dallas Cowboys at No. 2? This offseason showed both the Giants and Cowboys making moves to get better, with Dallas acquiring a couple of good pieces. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore and WR Brandin Cooks highlight that for the 'Boys, while re-signing RB Tony Pollard and releasing Ezekiel Elliott gives them flexibility in the backfield.
As impressive as the Dallas offseason has been, the Giants have turned heads too. It all starts with locking up Daniel Jones for the next four seasons. He has a lot to prove with this new contract, and all eyes are on him to bring this team back to the playoffs. Additionally, acquiring targets for Jones in Darren Waller, Jamison Crowder, and Parris Campbell only aids the previous receiving core of Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard and Isaiah Hodgins.
In the backfield, Saquon Barkley had a career year last season and is entering his prime at 26 years old. This offensive unit is explosive, and if all goes according to plan, they should be breaking open the record books in 2023 in terms of yards gained and points scored.
Defensively, it is all on the new-look linebacking core to create chaos and mayhem. The most pressure coming from edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who cannot afford to have a sophomore slump. Newly acquired middle linebacker Bobby Okereke has to continue to be a stud in the center of the field.
His last two seasons have shown his dynamic ability to stop anyone who is in his vicinity with the ball. And then there is Azeez Ojulari, who impressed last season when healthy with 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in just seven games of work. All of his this is bad news for Washington, Dallas and Philly. With the Eagles, we expect NY to take them down when these teams meet at MetLife.