SEASON PREDICTION 

The Giants were one of the most talked about teams this offseason and for good reason. They completely revamped their coaching staff hiring a new HC, OC, and DC. Harbaugh is coming in with high expectations to lead this young frisky New York team back to playoff success.   

Last year started off rough for New York with a 0-3 record and Russell Wilson being booed off the field in his performances. Then came the franchise's hope when Jaxson Dart took over as the starting QB and led New York to a shocking victory against the Chargers in week 4 where his running mate and fellow rookie Cam Skattebo broke onto the scene. Unfortunately, both Skattebo and Dart played with that rookie exuberance which led to, them taking punishing blows and being injured for a great chunk of the year, which contributed to New York's 4-13 record. For 2026, the biggest enemy for New York's offense may not be injuries but rather play calling ability. Taking the job for OC this year will be Matt Nagy who, in my opinion, is the second worst offensive coordinator in the league. Nagy was able to make the Chiefs offense look average while having a top five QB in NFL history. Being able to accomplish that is a feat in itself, that you would think would indicate to GMs league wide that he is not capable of running an offense. But Joe Schoen and Harbaugh feel confident that Nagy is their guy. Even if Nagy can be a semi-competent OC, he has the disadvantage of not knowing how healthy his star wide receiver Malik Nabers will be to start the season. Reports from Harbaugh indicate that Nabers ACL is not a normal knee injury which is extremely concerning. If Nabers is not at 100% to start the year, Dart will have to look at his other receiving options which include Darius Slay and Isaiah likely. These aren't necessarily bad second and third options but in comparison to division foes who have Lemon/Goedert and Pickens/Ferguson they are at a clear disadvantage. As for the running game, due to the hypothetical scenario of this article, I am assuming Skattebo has a completely healthy season in which his energy and bulldozer mentality will greatly help the attack. The Giants also seem keen on using Tyrone Tracy to give Cam a breather which I think is smart as Skattebo doesn't excel as a workload back but rather thrives as a situational runner who can give 100% on each snap.   

The defense has also shifted philosophies turning into a 3-4 base this year. This will put arguably the Giants best 4 players, in the linebacker position to roam the middle of the field attempting to stuff the run game and limit intermediate throws. New York was lucky enough to snag Arvell Reese at the 5th overall pick who I feel will slide in perfectly alongside Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmonds. The big question is how this front 7 will hold up against the run game in a division with elite running backs and offensive lines like the Cowboys and the Eagles. While New York did get a good return for Dexter Lawrence, he was a vet president helping to clog up the inside run game. With him gone now, DC, Dennard Wilson will have his biggest challenge in his young career in attempting to find a solution to their gaping problem. Repeating what happened last year and allowing 5.3 YPC (worst in league) is not going to cut it if the Giants hope to make the playoffs.   

Ergo while I do think the Giants will improve upon last year's promising flashes, there isn't enough of a proven track record for me to have them making the playoffs. Their offense is manned by one of the worst OCs in the game (In my opinion) and if he doesn't have a top 10 receiver to scheme with, the offense could be a disappointment compared to expectations. On defense, I'm not confident that New York can tighten up their running holes to be considered a fearful unit. Pair this with the fact they're already in a division with two of the NFC's top contenders, and it leads me to believe that the Giants will finish this year with a 6-11 record.