Where Does Giants’ Brilliant Preseason Leave Team Expectations?

The Good

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart looks to be the real deal. Two experienced veterans are mentoring him. The first is Russell Wilson, a proven Super Bowl champion. The next is Jameis Winston, and all he does is eat W’s.

The Giants have also bolstered their pass rush by drafting Abdul Carter out of Penn State with the No. 3 overall pick. The unanimous All-American was crowned as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year during his final year with the Nittany Lions. The last two Giants defenders taken within the top three? Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks, who were both key pieces in the Giants’ first two Super Bowl victories. Carter is joining some serious company.​​

Carter has been added to an already monstrous pass rush. He will be teamed up with Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, and Bobby Okereke. Lawrence has appeared in three consecutive Pro Bowls, Thibodeaux is the first Giant defender with 21+ sacks in his first three seasons since Jason Pierre-Paul, and Burns’ 54.5 sacks have him in the top-25 among active players.

The Bad

Although the quarterback play has been impressive, the rest of the offense has been lackluster.

The deep-threat speedster, Jalin Hyatt, has burned the Giants multiple times this preseason. Most recently with several key drops against the Patriots. Undrafted Free Agent, Beaux Collins also struggled against New England, despite showing promise during training camp and with an 80-yard catch against the Jets.

Tackle Evan Neal continued to struggle in pass protection. He has landed some bone-crushing blocks, but for the most part, he has struggled to move laterally, as that has been his most consistent growing pain.

On the bright side, fifth-rounder Marcus Mbow out of Purdue showed flashes of promise whenever he stepped on the field during the preseason.

Fans have yet to see any play from Malik Nabers this year, but he should provide the same elite talent as last year. Rookie Cam Skattebo, who ran for 12 yards on four carries in the Giants’ final preseason win, was also limited this offseason due to injuries.

Secondary Struggles

There are also still some serious concerns about the Giants’ secondary, even after making some huge offseason acquisitions in Jevon Holland and Paulson Adebo.

The first is depth at the safety position. Holland and second-year player, Tyler Nubin, will lead the way at safety. However, they lack reliable backups at the position. Even the starters may cause some trouble for the Giants, as Holland saw a significant regression last year, and Nubin is still young and unproven.

At cornerback, Adebo should be a major contributor to the Giants’ defense. Adebo was having his best year yet in New Orleans before breaking his femur and missing the last 10 games of the season. In the seven games he played, he had three interceptions and 52 tackles. Adebo is a sticky defender and should cause havoc for opponents on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Although Adebo should continue to breakout as a star defensive back, there is some troubling uncertainty about the other corner on the depth chart.​

Deonte Banks played most of the first two preseason games for the Giants and looked to be experiencing the same growing pains that he was last season. He showed immense promise in his rookie campaign, but really struggled to track the ball last year, giving up 689 yards and six touchdowns on 49 receptions. Those same issues have carried throughout camp and the preseason.

Things may not be all bad for this Giants secondary. Cordale Flott played exceptionally well in the G-Men’s final preseason win.

Flott also blew up several key plays in the win against the Jets the week prior.​

The Giants are showing a lot of promise this offseason, but have their fair share of kinks to work out. The problem is that the team is young and full of raw potential. The good thing is the team is young and full of raw potential.

This double standard could prove to be difficult for Daboll’s Giants this season, but could also be the key to success in years to come. As long as Daboll can develop this young core to the fullest of their potential and Joe Schoen keeps addressing some of the team’s key issues, the Giants have a real shot at contending for a title. This year just may not be the year.

The Ugly

The cherry on top is the Giants’ brutal strength of schedule this year. The Giants have the hardest schedule among all teams in the NFL. They are also the only team in the league with an opponent win average of 9+.

​It is becoming increasingly hard to compete in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles just won the Super Bowl. The Washington Commanders made a deep postseason run with their new golden boy, Jayden Daniels . And the Dallas Cowboys are always the Giants’ kryptonite. 

Some other tough opponents this season include the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions.

The impressive pass rush and their veteran quarterback should keep them in close in all of these games. The overall inexperience will be the reason they lose them.

It is likely they will pick up wins against teams that are similar in age and experience. Notably, the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears. They can also be fairly competitive with the Minnesota Vikings, as it is uncertain how good J.J. McCarthy will be as a quarterback prospect.

The Giants have a prime opportunity to beat both the Raiders and Patriots, especially since those games are in the backend of the season, where the young bucks should have a bit more experience under their belt.​

Every other opponent is a David vs. Goliath story, and these Giants will have a steep uphill climb to make all year.

Giant Hype

Despite this, the hype train running through New York this year is moving faster than any subway line that runs parallel. Not the Q, the Four, or the L can keep up with it. The Giants gain more hype by the day as Dart progresses and the locker room chemistry strengthens. At what point does one stop the train, get off, and maybe even turn it around?

The Giants were 3-14 last season, have many of the same issues as last year, and have an egregious strength of schedule. It is just not safe to say that this Giants team is a Super Bowl contender, let alone a playoff contender, especially in a loaded NFC East.

What is fair is the optimism about the future of the franchise. They have addressed many of these concerns and have shown flashes of promise during a tremendous preseason. This team is young, hungry, and talented. It is evident they want to win and play meaningful football. They could surprise a lot of people this season.

That said, New York Giants fans should pump the brakes on any feelings or thoughts about a deep playoff push. It just doesn’t seem realistic, and in good New York fashion, these fans would just be setting themselves up for disappointment.