WEEK 1 @ WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
I was not kidding. The Giants will not only begin their season on the road, but against the Washington Commanders, who were just in the NFC Championship last season. The biggest reason why is that their quarterback has emerged as a superstar that lifted them to the conference championship game, so he is hoping that they get further this time around and have a happier ending. The supporting cast around him did not change drastically from last year. Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler have been a solid running back tandem, Terry McLaurin is easily one of the more underappreciated receivers in football, they just acquired Deebo Samuel as an extra option, and Zach Ertz returned to being the reliable security blanket that everybody wants in their offense. Washington also made sure to address its offensive line by trading for Laremy Tunsil, so let’s hope that he is not one of the more penalized tackles in the league this time around. However, it is a group that allowed the seventh most sacks, so it is not like Washington is going to have an unbelievable offense that cannot be stopped. Fortunately, they drafted Josh Connerly Jr. as a future starter at right tackle, so the Commanders made sure to address the two most important positions on that front.
Their defense is a very unique one run by Dan Quinn. They do not have too many household names, but it is a group that is opportunistic and one you do not want to turn the ball over against. Jonathan Allen is gone, but they still have a franchise cornerstone in Da’Ron Payne along with a quality starter in Dorance Armstrong to lead the pass rush. The Commanders are also expecting Jer’Zhawn Newton to take the next step at defensive tackle and even signed Javon Kinlaw to give him a bigger role. Bobby Wagner is still playing at a high level and Frankie Luvu has been more than an exceptional complement to have in the linebacker room, but the secondary is one that I am hoping shows signs of improvement. Hopefully, Marshon Lattimore can have a full and healthy season to remind us why he is still one of the best corners in football. Mike Sainristil will be in the slot and Jonathan Jones is expected to be another outside defender, which is not the most ideal situation, but you at least have proven starters. However, one player that I have high hopes for is safety Quan Martin. He totaled eighty-seven tackles last year and showed up huge in the playoffs, the type of player that Dan Quinn loves to have on a daily basis.
I hate to say it but the Giants are going to be in plenty of situations where they are going to be completely counted out. One can only dream that they can put up a strong fight, but it will be extremely hard to do so on the road.
WEEK 2 @ DALLAS COWBOYS
If the Giants thought that having to play the Commanders on the road was tough, just wait until they have to play the Cowboys in AT&T Stadium. Dak Prescott has not lost a game to this team since his rookie season, and with how bleak New York’s season looks, I do not think that streak is going to end any time soon. However, Dallas presents some question marks as well. So many of their fans think that they will be a lot better than advertised, but I seriously cannot see how. Dak Prescott is coming back, that is always a great sign. CeeDee Lamb is one of the best receivers in the league, that definitely helps. Micah Parsons, given that he gets his contract extension, is absolutely one of the more unstoppable defensive players in the league. But what do these three have around them? Rico Dowdle left in free agency, which means the only running backs are Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. One of them has not been the same since a season ending injury he suffered a few years ago and another was proved to be nothing more than a system back for the Eagles. The passing game was already reliable with Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert, but acquiring George Pickens was definitely a high-risk and high-reward move. He is extremely talented, but the biggest red flag is that he had character and maturity issues in Pittsburgh, so I really do not know if this was the best change of scenery. The potential is there and I think he and CeeDee form a strong duo on paper, but I need to see how they gel together before I can come to a final conclusion. Fortunately, the offensive line is never an aspect I have to worry about. They drafted Tyler Booker in the first round to replace the recently retired Zach Martin and complement Tyler Smith, their tackles Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele are hoping to improve in 2025, and Cooper Beebe had a strong rookie season at center. With Dak under center, I doubt they will be a top ten offense, but they should be a productive unit against certain opponents. But when it comes to top tier teams, they do not always show up, so that needs to change if they truly want this year to be different.
With Matt Eberflus as the new defensive coordinator, I already know what I am going to get. There will be some games where they make tremendous strides, but then others where they are on their heels way too often. Yes they have Micah and Osa Odighizuwa on the defensive line, they brought back Dante Fowler, Marshawn Kneeland is on the rise, and Sam Williams is returning from injury to step in for DeMarvion Overshown. Yet, I am not exactly confident that Kenneth Murray or Jack Sanborn are going to fix a run defense that was below average last year. Trevon Diggs struggled to return from injury and DaRon Bland is essentially the same type of player, so I don’t have the highest faith in those two as the starting corners despite the fact that they have exceptional hands. I don’t need to worry about the safety room because it already has a ton of depth, but when Dallas cannot generate any pressure, then they better make a ton of plays.
Having said this, it does not change my mind on the Cowboys winning this game. It might not be saying much, but they do have a better constructed roster, and all it will take is the bare minimum to get the job done.
WEEK 3 vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
I already know what everybody is thinking. “You might be the most delusional person on the planet.” “How can you possibly say that the Giants of all teams are going to beat the Chiefs?” Hey, if I am wrong about this, I am wrong and I cannot live it down. It would not surprise me either because Kansas City is still the class of the AFC. As much as we want to laugh at the national media for saying that Patrick Mahomes is the GOAT if he wins a third straight Super Bowl, I can understand what started this discussion. The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the most dominant dynasties in the league and their quarterback has been the biggest reason why. As long as they have him healthy, they are the class of the AFC. Fortunately for them, the core is still intact. Isaiah Pacheco is one of the angriest running backs in the league and does a better job of getting yards after contact than most other players at his position. They are even bringing Kareem Hunt back, who did a tremendous job in emergency duty when Pacheco got hurt. The passing game will still focus on Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy, but Kansas City made sure to keep around Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster as reliable supporting options. There is also tight end Noah Gray, who is arguably the best backup player at his position, with the exception of Isaiah Likely. Yet, that was not the biggest issue with this offense. Surprisingly, it was the offensive line. To fix their drastic need at left tackle, not only did they sign Jaylon Moore in free agency, but drafted Josh Simmons with their first round pick. Joe Thuney unfortunately got traded to Chicago, but the good news was that Kansas City kept Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey. It appears that Mike Caliendo will be the starting left guard and he proved to be a serviceable placeholder, so let’s hope that it will not be a liability once again.
Over the past few seasons, Steve Spagnuolo has slowly but surely turned this defense into one of the best units in all of football. The biggest reason why is because of their front seven, which opens up the blitz and features several key playmakers. Chris Jones is still playing at an elite level, George Karlaftis deserves a huge payday for how tremendous he has been since he arrived, Mike Danna has developed into a bluechip edge rusher, and I cannot wait to see how Felix Anudike-Uzomah does in what should be a breakout year. Their linebacker room is stacked with Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton plugging up the middle, with Leo Chenal and Jack Cochrane on time when you need the call. The secondary is stacked with younger talent like Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Jaden Hicks, Bryan Cook, and Chamarri Conner. With Kristian Fulton the newest addition, this is a group that can most definitely keep this team in Super Bowl contention.
I do not know how the Giants will win, but there is one reason why I have this being the biggest upset of the year. The Chiefs have not beaten this team in East Rutherford in their entire history as a franchise. I remember the last matchup in 2017 when Kansas City was heavily favored and New York got their second victory of the year in a 12-9 overtime finish. Again, I know there is a strong chance I will be wrong, so Freezing Cold Takes can prepare the memes now if they so desire.
WEEK 4 vs. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Unfortunately, I do not believe there are any historical trends that will favor the Giants pulling off another upset, this time against the Los Angeles Chargers. This is not a team you want to underestimate, especially with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert as the main centerpieces. Last season did not end the way they wanted, but the Chargers proved that they could compete with anybody in the league. Harbaugh implemented the same formula with LA that he did when he won the National Championship at Michigan: run the ball, play great defense, keep the quarterback out of harm’s way. It helped JK Dobbins bounce back with a near thousand yard season, so just imagine what things could be like with rookie Omarion Hampton and veteran Najee Harris. But even if a defense manages to keep the running game in check, then there is wide receiver Ladd McConkey to worry about, who thrived in his rookie season. My only question is who will be Herbert’s second option. Quentin Johnston is incredibly talented yet has drop issues, Mike Williams had a very up-and-down season in 2024 trying to return from injury, and tight end Tyler Conklin is the only other security blanket on the roster. The Chargers offensive line is an average unit that does well with run blocking, but could have its issues in pass protection, so the latter might be a problem if Herbert does not have anybody that can consistently get open.
What really turned things around for the Chargers was their defense, which went from being one of the worst in the league to allowing the fewest points one year later. When you look at the defensive line, there are not too many household names, but this is still a group that had the sixth most sacks in the league last season. Khalil Mack might not be the player he was in his prime, but he is still one of the most productive edge rushers in the league. Tuli Tuipulotu is emerging as one of the more underappreciated players at his position and veteran Bud Dupree did not do bad himself with six sacks of his own. What LA is hoping, however, is for more of the younger guys to step up and shine for this team. Daiyan Henley received that message early by nearing 150 tackles and guys like Troy Dye and Junior Colson are hoping to get caught up. In the secondary, LA let Asante Samuel Jr. walk away in free agency, mainly because they might have found a new number one corner in Tarheeb Still. Elijah Molden jumped into the radar out of nowhere last season and got himself a deserving contract extension as a result. That is not even mentioning that they still have one of the best safeties in football with Derwin James leading the unit. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter did a hell of a job leading that defense, and if he keeps this up any longer, he might enter some head coaching discussions.
This was a really brutal four-game stretch for the Giants, so even though I think they can pull off at least one upset, I do not believe it will be against a Chargers team that wants to prove that last year was not a fluke.
WEEK 5 @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
What a delight, the matchup in the Superdome that nobody is going to be excited to watch. I feel bad that this is the first head coaching job for Kellen Moore because on a team with no cap flexibility, an aging roster, and no plan at quarterback, this is the worst situation he could have asked for. Everything was put on halt when Derek Carr retired, so now there are three guys competing for the starting job: Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and rookie Tyler Shough. I wish I could say that at least there are the Pelicans, but that team is on the verge of blowing it up. The only silver lining I have is that at least the Saints offense will be healthy. Alvin Kamara had a bounce back season with close to 1500 total yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed will more than likely be the two biggest targets for whichever quarterback throws them the ball, along with tight ends Juwan Johnson and Taysom Hill. Brandin Cooks is even coming back, so there is some nostalgia there. The offensive line is not completely horrible either and it got better with Kelvin Banks Jr. replacing Ryan Ramczyck at right tackle. The only issue is that once everybody got hurt, the entire offense plummeted, and it is one of the biggest reasons why the Saints had a dismal five win season.
As for the defense, how do I put this? They have zero depth and they are incredibly old. When you do look at the younger guys in this group, they are either inconsistent or inexperienced. They already lost their top two corners in Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo, their only two good pass rushers are Bryan Bresee and Carl Granderson, we don’t know what to expect from Chase Young, and Demario Davis can only do so much at thirty-six years old. At least they signed Justin Reid to reunite with his former Texans teammate Tyrann Mathieu, but with Brandon Staley as the defensive coordinator, my hopes are not that high for this group.
The only reason why I am giving the Giants the advantage is that they have a better quarterback. That is not saying much at all, but there is at least one deciding factor that should be enough to win this game.
WEEK 6 vs. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Last year was rough for Giants fans. The record alone was embarrassing, but watching their best player return to form and win a Super Bowl for a division rival is just humiliating. Now it is time for him to not really rub it in, but just remind everybody that the organization chose a below average quarterback over the best running back in football. I won’t be like a bunch of national media pundits and say that Philadelphia is starting a dynasty, but they are the most feared team in the NFC. Jalen Hurts finally got the respect he deserved by winning a championship and the game’s MVP, because when Philadelphia’s best player Saquon Barkley was held in check, it was the quarterback that rose up to the moment and redeemed himself from two years ago. Thankfully, the offense from that season will be back. Saquon is still at the peak prime of his career, the Eagles have one of the best receiving duos featuring AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, but one of the best news of the offseason was that they found a way to keep tight end Dallas Goedert for the foreseeable future. The offensive line has four of its five starters returning, so this offense should still be dominant on paper. The last thing Philadelphia wants, however, is a repeat of what happened two years ago. They might have finished with a winning season and a playoff appearance, but they collapsed after a 10-1 start and got demolished in the Wild Card with two different coordinators than the ones they had in their first Super Bowl matchup against the Chiefs.
Thankfully, Vic Fangio will still be in charge of the defense, which means you should not experience a setback any time soon. Even though they lost a ton of pieces in the offseason, Philly is deciding to focus on its youth to keep their repeat chances alive. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis will be the two key pieces to their defensive line, with assistance from Nolan Smith and perhaps Jalyx Hunt coming around the edge. In the second level, Zack Baun will be the quarterback of the unit as he is coming off of a breakout season, with the confidence that he will come out stronger this year. With help from Nakobe Dean and rookie Jihaad Campbell, I don’t expect that run defense to get worse. The secondary is where it gets really interesting because even though they are still young, both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean formed into a lethal cornerback tandem. Reed Blankenship has evolved into a legitimate starting safety and Sydney Brown is hoping to reach that level, so there is depth in that group as well. I don’t think that defense will be as dominant as it was the year before, especially since there will be a lot more inexperienced guys being thrusted into starting positions, but then I remember what happened in 2023. When they lost to Kansas City, the Eagles had the best defense in football. One year later, they were one of the worst. It was the biggest reason why Philadelphia fell apart after such a strong start, so my fear is that it could happen again, especially since it will be a younger unit.
I am scared that this is going to be a completely lopsided performance. The question is not how bad it will get, but when things will start to deteriorate on the terrible turf of MetLife Stadium.
WEEK 7 @ DENVER BRONCOS
I know that the national media is going to do its best to overhype this matchup because Russell Wilson will finally take on the Denver Broncos, but I just see this as another one-sided affair. Denver did not have the strongest offense in the league, but thanks to Sean Payton, their signal caller Bo Nix managed to improve week after week and blossomed as a face of the franchise. However, I did not see their offense get drastically better in the offseason. They did not solve a ton of their issues with the running game, their only notable signing on that front was tight end Evan Engram, and they did not sign another veteran wide receiver to aid Courtland Sutton. My guess is that Payton wants some of the younger players like Devaughn Vele, Marvin Mims, and especially Troy Franklin to form themselves into a legitimate receiving corps. Thankfully, they have one of the more improved offensive lines in the league, so it is not like they will not be given the chance to succeed.
What makes this a drastic challenge is the Broncos defense, which surged in several categories. They led the league in sacks, finished third in rush yards allowed and points allowed, and ranked eighth in takeaways. Their pass rush has an abundance of key playmakers starting with Nik Bonitto and working down to the likes of John Franklin-Myers, Zach Allen, and Jonathon Cooper. Denver boosted their run defense by signing Dre Greenlaw to boost the younger guys like Dondrea Tillman and Jonah Elliss. Did I forget to mention that Alex Singleton is coming back from a torn ACL? The secondary, however, is the most lethal group in my opinion. They have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Patrick Surtain II. They drafted Jahdae Barron in the first round as an elite second option. Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones are the two spearheads at safety, while JaQuan McMillian will secure his spot as the nickel back. I never thought Vance Joseph of all coordinators would be the one to put that defense in this position, but he has done a tremendous job over the last season and a half, meaning that he could get another chance to be a head coach.
It is difficult enough to beat a rejuvenated and reinvigorated Broncos team, but for anybody to do it in Mile High is twice as challenging. Nobody really knows if the Giants are going to truly improve or not, but either way, I do not see an upset taking place at this point in time.
WEEK 8 @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Giants have not won a game in Philadelphia since 2013, and I do not see this streak ending knowing that these two teams are on completely different levels now. However, if New York can somehow pull off an upset in MetLife, then that is at least a silver lining to their already whelming season.
WEEK 9 vs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
Every time I look at the teams the Giants have to play this year, I am always left dumbfounded because it should not be this difficult, but the 49ers are another team that are better in almost every single facet. After a forgettable 2024 campaign, a hopefully rejuvenated squad will hope to jump right back onto the map. There will be no more offseason drama now that Brock Purdy got his contract extension, so now that the offense is healthy, it is time to see what he can do. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams will be returning. Unfortunately, Deebo Samuel and Jaylon Moore will not. However, the 49ers still have an incredible amount of depth at wide receiver and the offensive line has been a stable unit for the most part. Deebo might be gone, but if Aiyuk cannot fully recover from the injury, then there is another trio that could pick up the slack: Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, and Ricky Pearsall. It might not sound totally inspiring, but with Shanahan as the play-caller, they will be effective and efficient.
At the start of the offseason, the 49ers saw many of their stars depart elsewhere. Javon Hargrave, Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, and Charvarius Ward were the most notable names to leave. The good news is that they still have two of their key cornerstones in Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Not only that, but Robert Saleh is coming back as the defensive coordinator, so a familiar face will be more than welcomed back in the building. The 49ers made sure to give Bosa some extra help by drafting Mykel Williams in the first round, but I truly do not know if this team is going to be truly better than they were last year. With Greenlaw gone, you don’t know who is going to pair up with Warner on the second level. Deommodore Lenoir got himself a nice contract extension, but who is his right hand man? On the other hand, Hufanga’s void will be filled with the likes of Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown, along with veterans Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant hoping to adapt to their new change of scenery.
Brock Purdy has a lot to prove this year, but I doubt that he will struggle against a Giants team that might still not have an identity in the middle of the season. If that is the case, the Schoen-Daboll regime is going to end and Russell Wilson is most likely going to get benched for the rookie phenom Jaxson Dart.
WEEK 10 @ CHICAGO BEARS
I do not think that winning a game in Soldier Field is anywhere near as difficult as winning at Mile High, but when the Chicago Bears are good, it can be a challenging environment. With Ben Johnson as the new head coach, everybody is expecting this team to finally turn things around. It is redundant since I said that the last two seasons, but this has to be the year things are different. Caleb Williams is hoping to take a huge leap into his sophomore season, perhaps proving that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron really was a hack and should not have been the guy to guide him in his rookie year. Entering 2025, the pieces are more and less the same, but they are hoping to improve as well. D’Andre Swift is still a capable running back, DJ Moore is a number one option for any quarterback in the NFL, Cole Kmet is always a serviceable tight end, and Rome Odunze is hoping to make sure that his second year is a breakout one. However, I think that there are definitely a couple of additions that could make a difference. The fact that wide receiver Luther Burden fell to the second round was absolutely shocking because he is an incredible playmaker that can take off after the catch, so this is definitely somebody that Caleb would absolutely dream to have as a teammate. In the first round, the Bears drafted a stunner in tight end Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren, but Ben Johnson knew that this guy would fit the Sam LaPorta mold perfectly. Loveland is also going to give Kmet something to think about in training camp, because if he develops in the right direction, then the starting job for tight end is definitely going to change hands at some point in the season. The biggest improvements that Chicago made with their offense revolved around their line. They traded for a four-time champion in All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, made another trade for Jonah Jackson, and signed the best free agent center in Drew Dalman. You pair those three with Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, that is a solid line. Last year, it was a complete abomination as it gave up the most sacks in the entire NFL, so Johnson is hoping that they make a very quick turnaround.
Despite the Bears defense finishing tenth in takeaways, this unit was average at best. They allowed the sixth most yards in football, ranked sixteenth in both passing and sacks, finished the fifth worst in rushing yards allowed, and placed thirteenth in points given up. I really don’t see Dennis Allen as an upgrade over Matt Eberflus, but he is at least a better coordinator than a head coach. The biggest moves that Chicago made with its defense in free agency is with the defensive line, just to make sure that the identity was not “Montez Sweat or bust.” By the way, he only had 5.5 sacks in 2024. Fortunately, he has a lot more help around him this time. Dayo Odeyingbo got himself a big contract of $48 million over three years, and even though I think they overpaid a tad too much for Grady Jarrett, he is at least a proven pass rusher that might have just needed a change of scenery. What I want to see, though, is the younger guys stepping up. This means that Chris Williams, Austin Booker, and Gervon Dexter are going to need to post bigger numbers. Otherwise, it won’t be long before Ryan Poles sends any one of them to another organization. In the linebacker room, they still have Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards as a rock-solid duo, but they also need to prove that whatever happened last year was just a fluke. The secondary is still an opportunistic unit with a lot of key playmakers. Jaylon Johnson is easily a top three cornerback, Jaquan Brisker is one of the most underappreciated safeties in football when he is on the field, Tyrique Stevenson still has plenty of room to grow, and Kyler Gordon will hope to have a bounce-back year as well. I’m not saying that this defense is going to be great, but if Ben Johnson can get the offense back on track, then there won’t be an overwhelming amount of pressure that they have to drag throughout the season.
You know the drill by now. The Giants have too many questions, the Bears have higher aspirations, it is a tough road game in November, and John Mara will eventually pull the plug if they suffer their fifth straight loss.
WEEK 11 vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS
This is the week where I believe that Jaxson Dart is going to make his first career start in the NFL and although the Packers are supposed to be a playoff contender, I believe that this is a winnable matchup for the Giants. It will definitely be easier said than done, however. Jordan Love is still their face of the franchise and proved that he is capable of leading this team to glory, but the supporting cast around him might indicate a bit of a down year. The good news is that the Packers still have Josh Jacobs, who ran for over 1300 rushing yards. The bad is that their depth at receiver is still lackluster. At least they drafted Matthew Golden in the first round, somebody that can complement the speedster Jayden Reed. Unfortunately, Christian Watson is expected to miss extended time with a knee injury and Romeo Doubs is a really inconsistent receiver. Dontayvion Wicks has also been really disappointing, and if he cannot have a big training camp, he might be a stunning roster cut. Both Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft cannot be the only security blankets Love will have to lean on, but thank goodness that their offensive line gave up the second fewest sacks in the league, so there should be more time for the receivers to get open.
The Packers defense is always a confusing one for me to analyze. Some days, they are above average. Other times, they get exhausted if they are on the field for too long. On paper, they should be decent. Rashan Gary is still an exceptional pass rusher, the rest of the defensive line has plenty of starpower such as Devonte Wyatt and Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness is slowly improving, and there are a few rotational guys that have stepped up as well. The linebacking room lost Eric Wilson in free agency, but they at least still have Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper. However, the secondary is one that I want to keep a close eye on this season now that Jaire Alexander is officially released. Xavier McKinney emerged as one of the top safeties in the league with eight interceptions and Carrington Valentine had his best season yet last year. They shouldn’t be horrible! The problem is that they are too inconsistent.
If Tommy DeVito can beat this Packers squad in the stadium just two years ago, then I do not see why Jaxson Dart cannot do the same thing. Nobody thought the Giants could do it then, so it would be fun to see them shock the world for the second time in three years.
WEEK 12 @ DETROIT LIONS
Even with a new quarterback likely to take over for the Giants, their schedule does not get any easier as they not only have to go back on the road, but take on the 2024 number one seed Detroit Lions. The Lions might have lost both of their coordinators, but as long as Dan Campbell is in charge, then they are the team to beat in the division. For all the flaws that Jared Goff might have as a quarterback, he has still been one of the best the organization ever had. The only worst case scenario is that he turns into a turnover machine again and causes them to slip out of the playoff race, but with the cast around him, it should not be an issue. Detroit still has a one-two punch at running back featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Amon-Ra St. Brown is easily one of the top five receivers in the league and Campbell is hoping that Jameson Williams could emerge as a legitimate number two. Sam LaPorta is always one of the more reliable tight ends in the league and their offensive line is one of the best in the league. We know that this offense will keep Detroit in postseason contention, but what about the other side of the ball?
When the Lions defense was healthy, they were one of the more improved units in the league. But the more guys they lost, the worse it got. If Aidan Hutchinson can successfully bounce back from the gruesome knee injury he suffered against the Cowboys, not only is this group going to get back on track, but he will be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. The only issue is that there is not anybody else on the line that can generate consistent pressure. They have a few perennial run stuffers, but the only player that had more than a few sacks in 2024 was Za’Darius Smith, and he is still a free agent. At least the linebacking room is still deep with Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, and Malcolm Rodriguez. But without a pass rush, then that means the secondary is going to be put in a tough place. They lost Carlton Davis in free agency, but they still have a few key playmakers that will at least hold their end of the bargain. Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are easily one of the best safety tandems in the league, they signed DJ Reed to complement the rising Terrion Arnold, and the additions of both Amik Robertson and Avonte Maddox should keep things stable. However, if this group is not healthy, then this season might turn out even worse than the last two.
Do I even need to say why this is going to be an unfortunate defeat?
WEEK 13 vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
It would honestly be hilariously fitting if the mightily inferior Giants pulled off a stunning upset against the Patriots once again, especially on Monday Night Football in Gillette Stadium, but I doubt Mike Vrabel will let that happen under his watch. The Jerod Mayo experiment failed, so a more proven and successful man will do his best to develop Drake Maye into the stud that he is supposed to transform into, and the cast around him is ten times better than whatever the heck he had last year. Rhamondre Stevenson had a rough season with fumble issues, which is why New England drafted Trayveon Henderson in the second round, but he is still a flexible back that can fight for yards after contact and bruise defenders with his physicality. They signed Stefon Diggs to be their new number one option, but I have been skeptical about the wide receiver room for the last five years now. It’s not only about the supporting role players, but the fact that Diggs is coming off a torn ACL and is not getting any younger. Fortunately, Hunter Henry is still around and has always been a reliable security blanket, but my biggest area of focus is the offensive line. New England did everything they could to overhaul that unit and managed to do that within a few months. They drafted left Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick, replaced the recently retired David Andrews with Garrett Bradbury, and signed Morgan Moses in free agency to be their right tackle. The only returning starters will be Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu, so their biggest priority is making sure Drake Maye does not get crushed on a weekly basis, or else this season is going to be a disaster.
Just like Bill Belichick did in 2021, Mike Vrabel retooled this defense into a respected juggernaut. They gave Milton Williams a huge contract to be their spearhead on the defensive line, brought in Harold Landry to fly off the edge, added Robert Spillane to be the new starting middle linebacker, and even signed Carlton Davis to complement a rising superstar in Christian Gonzalez. New England had to let go of a few remaining veterans to make these signings possible, but there is no doubt they will have one of the best defenses in football at the end. These signings are going to take the pressure off of guys like Keion White, Christian Barmore, Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, and Kyle Dugger to do their best to keep a faded empire alive the year before.
This honestly might be one of their closer losses of the season, but I honestly would not be surprised if this turns into an upset. This is the Patriots after all.
WEEK 14: BYE WEEK
WEEK 15 vs. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
I think that if the Commanders have a surprisingly bad season, then the Giants have a chance to pull off an upset. But for right now, I think that Washington will sweep the series for the second year in a row.
WEEK 16 vs. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
If the Giants got crushed by Sam Darnold to open up the season, then what do they think is going to happen when JJ McCarthy takes the same supporting cast to MetLife in the month of January? Let’s start with Justin Jefferson, who is still to this day the best receiver in football. If he gets doubled, then McCarthy will have Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor, along with a trusted security blanket in TJ Hockenson. In the backfield, Aaron Jones does not seem to have lost a step and is still one of the best flexible backs in the league. Their offensive line retooled in the offseason, letting go of their biggest liabilities and replacing them with potential gems. They signed Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency and then drafted Donovan Jackson in the first round, pairing them with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.
Their defense under Brian Flores was one of the more promising units to watch. They led the league in takeaways, allowed the fifth fewest points, tied for fourth in sacks, and gave up the second fewest rushing yards. The only category that this defense did not excel in was their pass defense, but those previous statistics I mentioned prove that this is a “bend but do not break” group. Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel thrived in their first seasons with the team by totaling double-digit sacks, and then they beefed up the trenches with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Just imagine what happens if Dallas Turner breaks out in his sophomore season. Patrick Jones II unfortunately departed in free agency, but their linebacker corps is still intact with Ivan Pace and Blake Cashman hoping to stabilize things with their run defense. The secondary is where it gets interesting because while they have a deep safety group and a number one corner in Byron Murphy, I do not like that their replacement for Stephon Gilmore was Isaiah Rodgers. Not to mention that their backups are Jeff Okudah and Ambry Thomas. I think that we are going to get more or less the same production from this defense as last year, but it is their quarterback that will be the ultimate X factor.
You already know what I am going to say, so I am just going to move on to the next game.
WEEK 17 @ LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Now it is time for Geno Smith to remind everybody that he was once a backup quarterback for Eli Manning in 2017. Now that he and Pete Carroll are back together in Las Vegas, this team is probably not going to win less than seven games this season. Actually, if you look at the rest of their roster, it feels like watching the Seahawks in an entirely different conference, but there are a few modifications. The Raiders drafted the Heisman winning running back Ashton Jeanty with their first round pick, which was a huge need because this team has not had a powerful player at that position since Josh Jacobs. However, the passing game still gives me some questions. They might have Brock Bowers, one of the more generational tight ends in the league, but the wide receiver room is lackluster. I like Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, but they are not quality number one options, so maybe Jack Bech will jump onto the radar and surprise us out of nowhere. Their offensive line is also a pretty substandard unit that allowed the eighth most sacks in the league, so I do not think that signing Alex Cappa in free agency did not make them a better unit. Nor does hiring Chip Kelly as your offensive coordinator! It was an issue when Pete Carroll was in Seattle and I am scared it is going to linger again in Sin City.
If there is one thing that I hope Carroll does well with this team, it is make sure the defense is not set back a decade. You have an unstoppable menace in Maxx Crosby, but the rest of the supporting cast is just average at best. Christian Wilkins is coming back from injury, Tyree Wilson has not lived up to the first round hype, and they did not do enough to address the linebacking room after Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo left in free agency. I hope Tommy Eichenberg and Michael Barrett can carve out starting roles, because if the only solutions are Devin White and Elandon Roberts, then it is only going to prove that Carroll never really learned anything from his one year hiatus. The secondary also lost some key pieces like Tre’von Moehrig and Nate Hobbs, but I honestly like the guys that will take their place. I have always been a fan of Jeremy Chinn, and I believe that both Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jakorian Bennett took big leaps in 2024. I do not expect it to be a great unit, but I think they can be pretty good against certain foes.
I do not think the Raiders are that good of a team to make the playoffs just yet, so this might not be an appealing matchup. Either way, I still think Vegas will have somewhat of a warm-hearted victory near the end of the season.
WEEK 18 vs. DALLAS COWBOYS
I personally want the Giants to pull off an upset against the Cowboys at least once this season, but until I actually see it, I am not going to get my hopes up.
FINAL RECORD PREDICTION: 3-14
