Giants Country

New York Giants Week 16 Storylines: Almost at the End

The Giants have one more home game on deck as this miserable 2024 season mercifully is coming to a close.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The New York Giants’ disappointing 2024 season is almost over.

It was supposed to be a celebration of the franchise’s 100th anniversary but instead, the 2024 season is on pace to be one of the worst in the team’s history.

There hasn’t been that much to cheer about, though as far as the fan base is concerned, at this point, the hope is just to wrap up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft and draft a franchise quarterback worthy of challenging Eli Manning’s franchise passing records. 

That sequence, though, will play out in April; for now, however, the Giants have one more home game to play before they end this miserable season in Philadelphia next year. 

For those who still believe the Giants are tanking, that’s not the approach in a locker room where head coach Brian Daboll is desperately trying to save his job.

“You focus on the next game,” he said when asked how he keeps the focus from wandering about what the future might hold. 

“So, you have a game here in a week. You put everything you got into it, just like you do each and every week. And you focus on the task at hand.”

As far as the Giants fan base is concerned, the next game means nothing unless it’s a loss that keeps the Giants first in the draft order. That’s perhaps the top storyline of Week 17. What else, though, should we keep an eye out for?

New York Giants, plane, john mara
The latest message is from an unknown group of angry Giants fans imploring team ownership to fix that mess. / Patricia Traina / New York Giants On SI

Will There Be Another Plane?

Probably, at least if those unnamed fans who have come forth to speak to select media outlets (by the way, I’m also open to speaking to anyone involved with the chartering of the planes), make good on their promise to keep sending a message to Giatns tam ownership to clean up what has become a messy situation at 1925 Giants Drive.

If there is another plane, what will this one say? More importantly, will the message prompt team ownership to make a change, or will they dig in and stay the course with the current leadership?

New York Giants
Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants fans wear paper bags on their heads during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Home Unsweet Home 

The 2024 Giants already made franchise history by losing ten straight games last week, 34-7, to the Atlanta Falcons. This week, they have another opportunity to make the wrong kind of history if they lose their regular-season home finale against the Colts. 

Such a feat would make the Giants, who have averaged 10.62 points scored at home, the first team in the league to accomplish that since the league implemented the 17-game schedule in 2021.

Giants quarterbacks Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock and Tim Boyle
Giants quarterbacks Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock and Tim Boyle / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who’s the Quarterback?

As of this writing, the Giants were waiting to learn the MRI results of Drew Lock’s throwing shoulder. Not to read too much into things, but it sounded like if Lock were healthy enough to play, he would get the start ahead of Tommy DeVito.

But truth be told, does it matter at this point? If the Giants, after moving on from Daniel Jones, hoped to find a bridge option among Lock, DeVito, and Tim Boyle for next year to maintain continuity in the quarterback room, the results suggest they haven’t. They will need to start from scratch at the position.

The question, though, is whether general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be the ones guiding that much-needed revamp of the quarterback room.

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Who’s Playing Their Last Game in Front of the Home Crowd?

 The Giants have several pending free agents, among them punter Jamie Gillan, receiver Darius Slayton, and safety Jason Pinnock.

Slayton is unlikely to return next year, as one gets the impression listening to him that the losing has finally worn him down. Gillan hasn’t indicated what he might be thinking, while Pinnock could be looking to turn what has quietly been a strong two seasons as a Giant into a bigger payday.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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