The second team in the NFC East that we will preview is the New York Giants.
This season for the Giants is crucial for some members of the Giants. The biggest strength that the Giants have is their defense. They added weapons on the offensive side, and they’re seeing Saquon Barkley returning from injury. However, the season is all going to come down to if Daniel Jones can get over the hump.
There might be reason for optimism in the Giants offense, though. Barkley is coming back, and Jones is accurate when throwing downfield.
The O-line, however, must hold up to generate running room for Barkley and get Jones enough time to make big plays in the air.
The additions of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney give them two electrifying playmakers who can take the Giants offense to another level. They have lots of options on the outside. Plus, they also signed longtime Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph to a two-year deal. When you add in Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, they have a lot of options to choose from.
This offense appears to be revamped outside of QB and O-line. However, it may be held back if Jason Garrett doesn’t make adjustments. Also, Jones has his flashes downfield, but he needs to play on a consistent basis.
The defense is their brightest spot, but they lack a legit pass rusher. The closest player they have to being exactly that is Leonard Williams if he can have a season similar to 2020, where he had 11.5 sacks.
However, Azeez Ojulari has the potential to be a threat coming off the edge. The duo of Williams and Ojulari could be a dangerous 1-2 punch on the pass rush. Although Dexter Lawrence hasn’t shown his pass rushing skills, the Giants still believe that the best is yet to come of him.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham schemed this unit into one of the better ones in the league while addressing its many holes. They added Adoree’ Jackson to start opposite James Bradberry, giving them two legitimate corners.
The concerns are at the depth in the front seven. They replaced Dalvin Tomlinson with re-signing Austin Johnson and with the addition of the injury prone Danny Shelton in free agency. Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines also have question marks surrounding them, as both have shown promise but are both coming off injuries.
But they were tough to run against last season and it should be the same thing again this season. With the additions of Ojulari and Jackson, they can disrupt the passing game more often than not, which should help them build a top 10 defense and generate more turnovers.
There hasn’t been a repeat winner in the NFC East since the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles. This division might not be up for grabs assuming that Dak Prescott remains healthy with the Cowboys. Because the East is a very confusing division, the streak will most likely continue this season.
However, this season can only end in two ways for the Giants: Either with a playoff berth or with Dave Gettleman getting fired.
Schedule
Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday, September 12, 4:25 PM on FOX
Ah, yes, the old low-scoring battles. It’s an underrated element that former Giants HC Pat Shurmur serves as the offensive coordinator of the Broncos. While Jones is a better quarterback than Drew Lock, it is debatable on if he is a better quarterback than Teddy Bridgewater. Besides, the Broncos don’t know on who their starting quarterback will be to begin the 2021 season, but assuming that Lock is the starter, the win will go to the Giants.
Week 1 score: Giants 17, Broncos 13
Week 2: @ Washington Football Team (TNF)
Thursday, September 16, 8:20 PM on NFLN
The first of two games between teams boasting strong defenses should be as expected: A tight, defensive battle. However, since the game is being played in the nation’s capital, Washington’s defense would be too much for the Giants O-line to handle. And while the Giants defense can do work against Washington’s offense, it’s not going to be enough.
Week 2 score: Washington 23, Giants 16
Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, September 26, 1:00 PM on FOX
The Falcons’ defense looks to be one of the weakest defenses in the NFL. They don’t have the pieces to keep up with the rest of the NFC now, and this season for them is more about final memories with Matt Ryan, who should have no problems putting up points no matter the competition.
Week 3 score: Giants 31, Falcons 27
Week 4: @ New Orleans Saints
Sunday, October 3, 1:00 PM on FOX
The Saints had to do lots and lots of salary cap work this offseason to keep their core. With the retirement of Drew Brees, on paper, their quarterback situation may appear to be bad, but Jameis Winston appears to be the frontrunner for the starting QB spot for the Saints. He was mistake-prone during his time in Tampa Bay, but Saints OC Pete Carmichael Jr. is known for turning quarterbacks’ careers around, like what he did with Brees upon his arrival to NOLA and Teddy Bridgewater when he filled in when Brees was injured in 2019. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game goes either way, but I’m giving the Saints the edge since they are playing at home.
Week 4 score: Saints 27, Giants 20
Week 5: @ Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, October 10, 4:25 PM on FOX
Both the Cowboys and Giants have solid weapons on offense, which could be set for a high-scoring game on paper. However, this may not be the case. The Giants have the better defense, with a stud in all three levels, while the Cowboys have a lot of young guys on theirs, although with Dan Quinn as their new defensive coordinator, it could give them a boost. Normally, the saying is that defense wins championships, but this may come down to quarterbacking play. Given that this game is in Dallas and assuming that Dak Prescott is healthy, the Cowboys get the W here.
Week 5 score: Cowboys 24, Giants 20
Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, October 17, 1:00 PM on FOX
The Rams may have lost some key players on their secondary, as John Johnson III and Troy Hill signed with the Browns, but they made a HUGE upgrade at quarterback, going from Jared Goff to Matt Stafford. However, Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles and will not play this season. Darrell Henderson Jr. should be a solid fill-in for Akers, however. The Rams offense is borderline unstoppable, even against a top 10 defense in the Giants.
Week 6 score: Rams 33, Giants 14
Week 7: vs. Carolina Panthers
Sunday, October 24, 1:00 PM on FOX
Sam Darnold is returning to New York, but he is coming back to play the other team. There’s no telling on how well he will do in Carolina, but his time with the Jets was not that promising, and it didn’t help that he had Adam Gase as his head coach for two seasons. Now, he has a chance to redeem himself under Matt Rhule, but he will be facing a solid defense that will force him to make costly mistakes.
Week 7 score: Giants 28, Panthers 20
Week 8: @ Kansas City Chiefs (MNF)
Monday, November 1, 8:15 PM on ESPN
The Chiefs’ defense is nothing too special. If Saquon Barkley can get the ground game going, they may have a chance to put up a fight against them. However, Patrick Mahomes is too good to let his team lose a game to an inferior opponent. It also doesn’t matter what defense you throw at him, as long as his O-line holds up, he will torch any defense to shreds.
Week 8 score: Chiefs 45, Giants 24
Week 9: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday, November 7, 1:00 PM on CBS
The Raiders defense is terrible. Literally and utterly terrible. As long as Jones can protect the ball and Barkley can generate enough push from his O-line against the Raiders’ uninspiring front seven, and the defense can get the pressure going on Derek Carr, this should be game over by the end of the 3rd.
Week 9 score: Giants 38, Raiders 27
Week 10: BYE WEEK
Week 11: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (MNF)
Monday, November 22, 8:15 PM on ESPN
The Buccaneers barely beat the Giants 25-23 in Week 8 of last season, but that was before the Bucs hit their stride, winning 8 straight games (including playoffs). This time around, expect it to be more of a mismatch, as the Bucs’ defense will force Jones into several turnovers in a similar fashion as to how he threw two picks in last season’s match.
Week 11 score: Buccaneers 41, Giants 17
Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, November 28, 1:00 PM on FOX
These two NFC East squads think of themselves as teams on the rise to a degree, although it is in the weakest division in the NFL. The season series appears to have the word “split” written on it. The X-factor here is who has the homefield advantage. In this case, it’s the Giants, as the defense forces Jalen Hurts to make some mistakes, and the offense capitalizing off of them.
Week 12 score: Giants 24, Eagles 22
Week 13: @ Miami Dolphins
Sunday, December 5, 1:00 PM on FOX
It’s yet another low-scoring affair for the Giants, this time among teams with head coaches who were once assistants of Bill Belichick. Brian Flores has done an excellent job at bringing his own version of the Patriot Way to Miami. As for Joe Judge, this will be a real test for him to see if his squad can pull off an upset, but don’t expect that happening as both defenses dictate the pace of the game.
Week 13 score: Dolphins 14, Giants 9
Week 14: @ Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday, December 12, 4:05 PM on FOX
Justin Herbert is what the Giants want Daniel Jones to be. A quarterback who possesses a good size, a strong arm, an accurate thrower, and a dual-threat QB who can take care of the ball. Herbert is already progressing further than Jones, even if he has had worse pass protection last season. Don’t expect an upset.
Week 14 score: Chargers 31, Giants 17
Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, December 19, 1:00 PM on FOX
As the season series shifts to the Meadowlands, it should be pointed out that the Cowboys struggled to buy in Mike McCarthy as their HC, while it never really seemed to be the case regarding Judge with the Giants. That could fare well for them. Outside of Jerry World, the Cowboys may not match up well with the Giants.
Week 15 score: Giants 26, Cowboys 23
Week 16: @ Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, December 26, 1:00 PM on FOX
DeVonta Smith’s presence on the Eagles’ receiving corps, combined with a healthier and returning O-line, will help the Eagles. The Eagles have a young, up-and-coming defense that added Anthony Harris and Steven Nelson to their secondary. Because Jones is a turnover prone QB, the Eagles’ defense will take advantage of his mistakes.
Week 16 score: Eagles 27, Giants 19
Week 17: @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, January 2, 1:00 PM on CBS
Both teams have strong defenses and have solid weapons on offense. Their biggest questions surround at the quarterback position. Jones hasn’t shown that he is a true starter and the Bears have to decide if they want to roll with the aging Andy Dalton or the young and promising Justin Fields. Assuming Fields is the starter of this game and develops as promised, the Giants may be bound to have a tough time against the Bears on the road.
Week 17 score: Bears 27, Giants 16
Week 18: vs. Washington Football Team
Sunday, January 9, 1:00 PM on FOX
No matter where these games are being played between these two teams, as long as Jones is under center for the Giants and Washington has pass rushers like Chase Young and Montez Sweat pressuring him all over the place, it leads to a Washington win.
Week 18 score: Washington 17, Giants 6
Final Record Projection: 6-11
Projected Starters
Offense
QB: Daniel Jones
RB: Saquon Barkley
WR: Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton
TE: Evan Engram/Kyle Rudolph
OL: Andrew Thomas (LT), Shane Lemieux (LG), Nick Gates (C), Will Hernandez (RG), Matt Peart (RT)
Defense
DL: Dexter Lawrence (LE), Austin Johnson (NT), Leonard Williams (RE)
EDGE: Lorenzo Carter (WLB), Oshane Ximines/Azeez Ojulari (SLB)
ILB: Tae Crowder (LILB), Blake Martinez (RILB)
CB: James Bradberry (LCB), Adoree’ Jackson (RCB)
S: Jabrill Peppers (SS), Logan Ryan (FS)
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