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Why the Giants' Passing Offense Has Its Work Cut Out for It to Start the Season

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Patricia Traina | Last updated May 16, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The last time the New York Giants got off to a fast start to a season, good things happened.

It was 2022, the first year of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll era, and the Giants really surprised the league.

That season, the Giants won six of their first eight games, including their first two, and went on to record a 9-7-1 record that was good enough for their first postseason berth since 2016 and their first postseason win since 2011.

Since then, the Giants have literally struggled out of the gate. In 2023, they went 2-6 in their first eight games, including 1-1 to start the season. They repeated that 2-6 mark last year, except they lost the first two games en route to a franchise-worst 3-14 record.

So high atop general manager Joe Schoen’s wish list is to see the Giants get back to the fast start that helped define their 2022 season.

“You'd always like to get off to a fast start if you can,” Schoen told Kay Adams on Thursday's Fan Duel Up & Adams podcast.

However, getting off to a fast start might not be as easy as it sounds. According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football, the Giants, hoping to fire up the deep passing game via quarterback Russell Wilson's arm, will face five top-7 pass defenses from the 2024 season: Denver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington, and Kansas City.

in the first 7 weeks, the New York Giants will face FIVE top-7 pass defenses from last year:

#1 Broncos (Wk 7)
#2 Eagles (Wk 6)
#3 Chargers (Wk 4)
#6 Commanders (Wk 1)
#7 Chiefs (Wk 3)

very well might be the #1 toughest schedule of pass defenses for any team to start the year
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 14, 2025

Last season, the Giants' passing offense finished 28th in the league, averaging 189.9 yards per game. Except for the quarterback position, the projected starting offense has remained the same, which makes for a curious decision.

It is still to be determined whether head coach Brian Daboll will call plays again this year. Daboll took over the role last year from offensive coordinator Kafka, but the results were worse than the two seasons Kafka called plays, despite experiencing many of the same quarterback issues as Daboll faced.

This factor about the tough passing defenses being at the forefront of the Giants' schedule could be why they’ve been actively looking to add to their receiver corps. They appear to be in search of another outside option that could allow them to play Malik Nabers more in the slot, where he was effective in limited snaps.

With expectations for the Giants not very high, whatever they are able to manage in the opening half of the season will tell us much about whether the plan that Schoen and Daboll presented to ownership to save their respective jobs is truly on track or if the situation warrants starting over with a brand new regime.

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