Giants Country

Three Things to Watch in Giants' Remaining Games

A playoff berth remains in the Giants' sights. But they will need the following things to happen if they have a chance of finishing the job.

Patricia Traina

Three Things to Watch in Giants' Remaining Games
Three Things to Watch in Giants' Remaining Games /
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When last we left the New York Giants, they were a surprising 6-2 after eight weeks of play and were being mentioned in the same sentence as the word "playoffs."

Before anyone makes any post-season plans, there are nine games remaining for head coach Brian Daboll's upstart team, and those nine games include a stretch of five straight against NFC East opponents. Still, there is optimism that the Giants will indeed make their first playoff appearance since 2016 if you believe FiveThirtyEight's playoff projections which put the Giants' chances at 78 percent.

If the Giants are to deliver on those projections, they probably need to get to 11 wins to ensure themselves of a wild card. While anything can happen on any given Sunday, if things continue to fall the Giants' way, they could be looking at wins against the Texans, Lions, Colts, and at least one win against the Commanders (if not a sweep), which would give them the magic number.

And if they fall short, well, who amongst us expected them to be this successful in the first year of the rebuild under Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen? That might not sound like much consolation, but brighter skies are ahead for a Giants team with the following things to look forward to for the remainder of the season.

Division Games

The Giants come out of their bye week with two games against non-division opponents (Houston and Detroit), which they should be able to bag. But if they're aiming for a playoff berth, the time for them to make a move will begin on Thanksgiving when they kick off the first of five straight games against division opponents.

Up first is the re-match against Dallas, a team they lost to in Week 3 by __ points. Two games against Washington sandwiched between a game with the Eagles at home follow that.

If the Giants are going to ensure themselves of a playoff berth, they have to do all they can to win the division--a tall order for this year, but also a nice little litmus test for general manager Joe Schoen to see up close how well the Giants stack up against their division opponents.

Sustainability of Winning Formula

One of the big questions for the Giants on the heels of their 6-2 start is whether they can sustain winning as they have done so thus far.

Realistically, the answer is no, not against teams that are more loaded than they are or who play a pristine game. But if you're looking for some hope that the Giants can keep things rolling as they have, you can take some stock in the fact that this team continues to be a well-coached, well-prepared group of players who are fully bought into what the coaches are selling, and who have experience winning.

Improved Health

Another year, another round of dealing with the injury bug. According to ManGamesLost.com, the Giants (121 injured protocol) remain the second-most injured team behind Seattle (125 injured protocol).

The Giants will be without safety Xavier McKinney for a few weeks after he announced that he suffered a hand injury over the bye. While that's a blow to the team, given McKinney's importance on defense, the Giants could be getting some other injured guys back starting this week, among them cornerback Rodarius Williams, offensive lineman Matt Peart (PUP), and offensive lineman Shane Lemieux.

It's also believed that edge rushers Oshane Ximines and Azeez Ojulari aren't too far off from having their respective 21-day clocks started.

The Giants would have to create roster spots for any players they add to the roster, so the activation of these guys will likely be timed accordingly. But how big would it be if they could get some of these guys back in time for that five-game stretch against the NFC East that's coming up?

 

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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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