The New York Giants who sit at 5-10 could win the division in week 17 with a win over the Dallas Cowboys (6-9). Who knew after a brutal loss to the Ravens today that the Giants would be in this position. They can ultimately thank the Dallas Cowboys for officially knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles today, eliminating them from playoff contention, and the Carolina Panthers for defeating the Washington Football Team. The Giants can make the playoffs with a win over the Cowboys and the Eagles defeating the Football Team next week.
As exciting as it is that the Giants can make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, there are so many concerns. The Giants are 5-10. In any other division this team was eliminated by now. Even with a win, 6-10 makes the playoffs in a historically bad division. This team may be a “playoff team”, but it is far from it. There are still so many holes on this roster that need to be taken care of before they become truly competitive.
There are still question marks at quarterback with second year player Daniel Jones. Jones has just 9 touchdown passes this year. He has missed two games due to injury so far. 9 TD passes is not good enough to be a competitive QB come playoff time. Jones does have 8 less fumbles than he did last year with 10, but his ball security has been an issue. Looking at a game like today, Jones did play a clean game, and had a better game today. However, the season as a whole has been a major drop off from last year, and some other areas can be to blame also like the young and inconsistent line protecting Jones, lack of separation with their receivers, and some bad play calls from OC Jason Garrett. All of these things collectively have made this Giants offense ranked 31st in the NFL. You look at some of the most successful teams in the NFL today, and many have a very good offense. The game used to be all about who had the best defense, but it’s a new game today. It’s become a passing league, and a large focus on offense, an example would be a team like the Chiefs.
A win and a playoff berth could also save GM Dave Gettleman’s job. Think about it, he made some great signings in the 2020 offseason like kicker Graham Gano, CB James Bradberry, LB Blake Martinez, and DB Logan Ryan. If the Giants make the playoffs, it’s a major result of the defense and what they’ve done. The defense kept them in many games, and won them most of them. Their defense turned around from the black hole they were in last year. Gettlemen would be praised for that, and getting the late round draft picks like LB Tae Crowder, Edge rusher Carter Coughlin, and some other contributors on defense like CB Darnay Holmes and safety Xavier McKinney. They would say that he added some key pieces to the Giants defense this year and is a result of why they are good. That’s not the right answer. The right answer is they hired DC Patrick Graham who took the players he had and emulated a defense that worked well together. His scheme adhered to the player’s strength. He made the players look good with the scheme he implemented. That wasn’t all Dave Gettlemen. It was mostly Graham. Outside of this year, with the possibility of making the playoffs, the Giants finished 5-11, then 4-12. This year they will either go 5-11 or 6-10. Doing the math, the Giants under Gettleman are 14-33 right now. If it wasn’t for a historically terrible NFC East Division, the Giants are out of the playoffs and finishing with a losing record for the fourth year in a row. That is the reason why Dave Gettleman needs to be replaced. If it wasn’t for a terrible division, this team would not be even close to being in a position to playing football in January.
Now as a team and a fan, you want the Giants to in next week and make the playoffs. The Giants have made the playoffs just twice since 2011 (when they last won a Super Bowl). As a team, a win can change everything, especially if it means playoffs. These players are also playing for their futures, whether it’s with the Giants or somewhere else. Making the playoffs would make players either want to stay, or possible free agents would gain interest in coming to the Giants, a team that could be up and coming after a playoff appearance, even if it was in a bad division. It’s also a message for your QB Daniel Jones. Can he do enough to make a playoff run and show the Giants and fans whether to believe in him, or give reasons for concern? A playoff appearance would also motivate the team into next year, and develop a whole new message to that locker room other than lets look forward to the draft and try to start over again next year.
Speaking of draft picks, that is the next level of concern. According to Tankathon, the Giants currently hold the 8th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Now I’m not one to tank a season or anything like that, I never liked that. However, when it comes to either losing next week’s game and getting a 6-10 first round draft pick or winning the division and getting at the very least the 18th pick, I’d almost want to let the division title go. I’ve been keeping an eye on some top wide receivers like Devonta Smith, Ja’Marr Chase, and Jaylen Waddle. The Giants really need a true number 1 WR. Those three guys have a chance to be that guy. The Giants could fairly easy land one of them in the 6-10 range, but 18 would be far. With the way the Giants offense has been, I would take this option for sure. Even if the Giants make the playoffs, I don’t trust this offense down the stretch. At least in that area of the draft, you can come away with a high-quality WR for an offense that has struggled with skill players this year. They could ultimately be in position for a guy like CB Patrick Surtain II, a top corner in this draft. Opposite of Bradberry, there’s a hole at corner. Isaac Yiadom has been okay, but in no way does he have that position locked up. If the Giants had a chance to get a top corner like Surtain II, that also helps the pass rush with getting more opportunities for coverage sacks. Of course, there will still be good players left at 18, but obviously there are better players at 6-10.
So like many fans, I’m 50/50 on this. Yes, I’d love the Giants to make the playoffs and watch them play in the playoffs again. I also would like them to get a great draft pick and hopefully snag someone with the best possible quality that can help this team down the road. Dave Gettleman’s future in NY is also a big concern for myself and many Giants fans. It’s something that will be interesting down to the wire.
I think we all can agree that no matter what happens, Giants fans will always bleed blue, and we all just want the New York Football Giants to make strides and to be a winning football team again.
Photo Credit: SBNation
About Dylan Davis
Dylan Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Canton, where he obtained a B.A.A in Sport Management. He is a former athlete of football and baseball and sports fan for much of his life. Dylan creates content for 366 Sports and New York Giants 366, and is also a host on his own show, “The J&D Sports Show”.
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You are absolutely 100% right for the giants to pick a top receiver in the draft, with Sequan coming back this would be an awsome offence, however you also need a good O-line to protect Jones and if they have a 50-50 chance to make the playoffs again next year what would you say then? If they make the playoffs anything can happen.