Can the Giants Really Salvage 2020?
We’ve now reached the final week of the NFL season, and somehow, someway, the New York Football Giants (5–10) find themselves in a position to capture the NFC East crown. It’s been a hard year for everyone — but for the Giants specifically — having Joe Judge’s first season hi-jacked by the COVID-19 pandemic before the first snap of the preseason, playing virtually the entire campaign without their best player (Barkley), and failing to see the sophomore improvement many hoped for from Daniel Jones have been crutches the team has struggled to overcome in 2020. Even so, they enter a Week 17 tilt against Dallas at home with a chance to win and get it; potentially salvaging a trying season.
While it would be nice to leave it there, winning on Sunday won’t be good enough for the Giants. They need to see Daniel Jones healthy and feasting on a Dallas defense that has been historically awful in 2020. Even if it wasn’t there for the entirety of the season, Jones wrapping up 2020 on a high note against a defense he should be more than prepared to dominate (*cough* Jason Garrett) would be a welcome sight for the franchise. He doesn’t need to be Mahomes or Watson; but an ability to control the clock, make throws down the field, and get mobile when necessary will be key for Jones if he wants to cement his place with the franchise headed into 2021.
Big Blue also needs to find the defensive tenacity that had fans taking victory laps at 5–7. They’ve given up 73 points in their last three losses, which may not seem like a staggering number, but 46 of those points were scored in the first half. None of their meetings with Arizona, Cleveland, or Baltimore were particularly close, and in all of them, the necessary distance was created before the halftime break. This comes back to Patrick Graham, whose been great this year, Jason Garrett, who will be tasked will moving the ball on a regular enough basis to give the defensive unit ample rest, and Joe Judge, who has proven he has the respect of the team, but needs to show he can coach them when the in the most pivotal moments.
Lastly, they need an offensive X-factor. Whether thats Darius Slayton returning to the form that made a friend of mine trade a future 6th round pick for him in one of my fantasy leagues, or Evan Engram using the momentum of a surprising Pro-Bowl nod to display his worth, or Sterling Shepard tapping into his postseason experience as the longest tenured Giant; they need someone to step up and make plays. Wayne Gallman continuing to run hard will be key to their success, but the Giants have missed a downfield threat since the departure of Odell Beckham, so seeing one emerge late in 2020 will be a welcome sight for fans and the organization alike.
There are still wholesale changes that must be made to establish the Giants as perennial division and conference contenders; but as another losing season comes to it’s conclusion, the G-Men have to chance to sneak into the postseason and show they’re ready to re-discover greatness.
