Will the Giants Make The Playoffs?

Author: Frank Caggino

Editor: Mark Awadallah

In a normal year, it would be hard to believe that the New York Giants would be in first place in the NFC East with a 4-7 record, making 2020 a year unlike any other. The Giants’ most recent win against the Bengals was not pretty, but it is a win or loss league. The Giants almost won on Thursday night and Monday night football, but there is no reward for being close in the NFL. They have benefited from injuries (Dak Prescott) and teams in their division not playing as well as they should (Philadelphia Eagles). The Giants have won back to back games, but they have some tough opponents that will make it difficult to keep winning.

The New York Giants next opponent is the Seattle Seahawks who have an 8-3 record and are one of the best teams in the NFL. Seattle just beat the Eagles convincingly and sacked Carson Wentz six times. Daniel Jones strained his hamstring against Cincinnati, and it is not clear yet if he will play on Sunday. If the Giants want to have even a slight chance of competing against a good team, Jones must be healthy and playing. The Giants cannot win with Colt McCoy as the quarterback who struggled putting up points against the Bengals, when he took over for Jones following his injury. The other problem with facing Seattle is Russell Wilson, who had been having an MVP caliber season until his past couple of games. DK Metcalf is a matchup nightmare and will be an extremely tough cover for the Giants. It is difficult to see the Giants winning this game which is unfortunate considering how close the division race is. Luckily for the Giants, the rest of the division has perhaps even tougher games than Big Blue. The Eagles taken on the Packers who have been just as good as Seattle and are very tough to beat especially in Lambeau Field. The Cowboys will be going up against the Ravens who are a good team as long as they have a healthy Lamar Jackson. Washington has the toughest game out of everyone when they face the undefeated Steelers. Even though the Giants will most likely lose on Sunday, they will still most likely be in first place.

The Giants’ next game is against the Arizona Cardinals who have their highs and lows. There are times when the Cardinals look like a playoff contender and other times when they look like they are middle of the pack. Regardless, the Kyler Murray and Deandre Hopkins led attack, is a tough one to defend. Murray has been dealing with a shoulder issue, which renders him less effective than he normally is. Nobody knows if Daniel Jones will be fully healthy by then which means this matchup does not favor the Giants, but they still have a chance. As far as the rest of the division, the Cowboys play the Bengals which is a winnable game for Dallas. The Eagles play the Saints and if New Orleans has Drew Brees, the Eagles will likely have a hard time winning. If the Saints do not have Brees, the Eagles have a slight chance, but the Saints are still a good team. Washington faces the 49ers who have also had injuries, but if they are healthier by then, San Francisco should win. Following week 14, the Giants should still be in first place.

In week 15 the Giants play the Browns who have a good record of 8-3, but do not play like a team that has an 8-3 record. The Giants definitely have a chance to win this game. Washington plays Seattle, which is a Seattle win if Russell Wilson still plays. The Eagles play the Cardinals, which should be a win for Arizona. The Cowboys play the 49ers, which is a game that could go either way, but favors the 49ers. If the Giants can win against the Browns or their previous matchup, they can be in first place following week 15.

In week 16 the Giants play the Ravens, who should be healthy by then which would make it a tough win for New York. Washington faces Carolina, which is a game that is very tough to pick as either team could win. The Eagles face the Cowboys, which means that an NFC East team, not named the Giants, will win in week 16 unless the Eagles get another tie. By the time week 16 is done, the Giants might not be in first place anymore depending on how they do the previous weeks.

The Giants last game of the season is against the Dallas Cowboys, which is an obvious must win for the Giants. New York should be able to win this game and with Washington facing the Eagles, it is going to be a very close finish to see who wins the division. The Giants path to the playoffs is not an easy one, but there is a chance that they can still make it. If the Giants can somehow beat either the Cardinals or Browns game and the Dallas game, they should be in the playoffs. The Giants also must hope that the rest of their division does not pull off any upsets, but that should not happen because the other teams in the NFC East are not performing at their best, currently. It definitely has not been the best or prettiest Giants season, but for the first time in a long time, the Giants are playing meaningful football games in December. For the first time in a long time, the Giants can make the playoffs and that would be a fitting end to 2020, filled with weird events all the way to the end.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Same Record, Different Stories

Author: Frank Caggino

Editor: Aaron Mesco

After the first two weeks of the 2020 NFL season, the Jets and Giants feel like they are headed for another year of losing records. Both teams had disappointing seasons last year and were hoping to improve. The Jets had a bad offensive year and tried to address this need by building up the offensive line. The Giants struggled on defense and made moves in free agency to improve in that department. Neither team has shown drastic improvement as they are both 0-2, but one team feels significantly better than the other.

Last year, the Jets brought in Adam Gase to be their head coach to develop Sam Darnold and as an attempt to improve the offense. That did not happen, as they had one of the worst offenses in all of football. One would imagine that the Jets would have to improve in year two. That has not happened, as the team is still one of the worst offensive teams in the league. They are struggling in all areas on offense with play calling, passing the ball, and establishing a running game. Injuries have made it even tougher for the Jets, and they have not looked competitive in either one of their first two games. The Jets could not move the ball against the Bills, while Buffalo could do whatever they wanted with Josh Allen under center. The following week, the Jets played a heavily injured 49ers team and still got blown out. This has led to fans calling for Adam Gase to be fired and questioning if Sam Darnold is the franchise quarterback. The Jets look like one of the worst teams in the NFL and might have a major decision to make in the draft if they finish with the worst record and secure the first overall pick.

The Giants are also 0-2, but have been much more competitive in their games. They had a 10-3 lead against Pittsburgh, but turnovers made it difficult to defeat a very good Steelers team, especially without Golden Tate. In week two, the Giants found themselves down early to the Chicago Bears, but were able to fight back and make it a very close game. The Giants had a play in the end zone where they could have won the game, they could not execute. Unfortunately, the Giants lost Saquon Barkley in that game, who is a massive part of their team. They are trying to replace him for the time being (meaning the rest of the season) with Devonta Freeman, who they just signed.

Safety Bradley McDougald is one of the pieces the Jets got back for trading away their best player Jamal Adams (who is excelling in Seattle), and he has mentioned the differences between the Jets and the Seahawks. McDougald said that even the Jets practices are bad and that they are losing in practice. There have been no reports like this coming out of the Giants, which shows the differences in the culture of both of these organizations. Even though these teams have the same record, the Jets look like the worst team in football and the Giants look like a more competitive squad.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE