Giants' Brian Daboll emerging as prime Coach of the Year candidate

The Giants' upset win over the Packers on Sunday was the team's fourth of the 2022 season, matching the franchise's 2021 win total. In five games, the Giants already have as many wins under coach Brian Daboll as they did last season under Joe Judge. 

Unlike some of the other teams that have taken a step forward, the Giants didn't have a star-studded offseason. Their biggest addition was Daboll, and many of the roster issues the team dealt with a year ago still persist. As the Giants keep winning, Daboll keeps entrenching himself as a legitimate Coach of the Year candidate.

The differences between the 2021 Giants and the 2022 edition of the team were on display against Green Bay. Despite a leaky offensive line and a lack of receivers, Daniel Jones played with more confidence. Saquon Barkley gave the Giants a game-changing catch-and-run on their go-ahead drive. 

Most importantly, the defense completely controlled the second half. While Daboll is an offensive-minded coach, his hire of Don Martindale has turned a defense that entered the year without its top two pass-rushers and an extremely thin linebacker group into one of the league's most reliable units. 

“Anytime you have games like this people call them ‘built-in’ excuses, and I don’t want anyone in our organization to make an excuse about anything,” Daboll told Pro Football Talk after Sunday's win. The Giants entered the game as decisive underdogs and trailed 17-3 at one point in the first half. 

Daboll's no-excuse mentality has proven to be a massive improvement from the no-nonsense mentality Judge preached but failed to implement. 

Until further notice, the Coach of the Year award might run through Daboll.