The Giants have done it. They have reeled me back in. Well, they haven’t reeled me back into thinking they are good enough to reach the postseason, but they have reeled me back into having a reason to watch each week, and that’s not something I thought was possible two weeks ago when they fell to 0-2 with yet another embarrassing performance.
The happiness for the end of the Eli Manning era is a little much given that Manning had to start on the road at Dallas and against the Bills’ defense, while Daniel Jones got the Buccaneers defense (and their kicker) and then the Redskins. But even though Manning’s lengthy career has all but come to an end, Jones is off to a 2-0 start as the Giants’ starting quarterback and has looked extremely comfortable in his two starts.
For as bad as the Giants are, the Redskins are on a whole other level. They are now 0-4 on the season and after Case Keenum was pulled for being unable to get yards, let alone points, against this Giants defense, the Redskins turned to Dwayne Haskins, who had already been deemed not ready for game action by Jay Gruden. While Keenum threw one interception on 11 pass attempts, Haskins — who many thought the Giants should inexplicably draft — threw three on 17 pass attempts. The Giants were able to pass and run all over the Redskins’ defense for 389 total yards, while the Redskins only accumulated 176 total yards(!) against this Giants defense. That’s how bad the Redskins are.
It’s hard to envision the Giants losing to the Redskins when the two teams meet again in Week 16 in Washington because by then Jones will have nearly a full season of experience and the Giants won’t be without Saquon Barkley (knock on wood for both). When you add in games against the Cardinals, Jets and Dolphins, there’s a good chance the Giants win six-plus games this season, which isn’t something that seemed possible two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, the schedule takes a turn over the next 10 days as the Giants will host the Vikings and then go on the road on a short week to play the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. It would be an impressive accomplishment to win one of the two games and come away from them at 3-3. The easier of the two games would be against the Vikings at MetLife, but without three key pieces on defense (just think about what the defense will look like with three new players who weren’t good enough to play already), even if Kirk Cousins is an average-at-best quarterback, I’m not sure how the Giants will stop Dalvin Cook. Add in another missed game for Barkley, and it’s easy to see the Giants falling to 2-3.
The Vikings can be worried about as the week progresses. For now, Giants fans can bask in Sunday’s win, even if the opponent was as bad it will get aside from the Dolphins this season. So far it seems like the Giants have found their next franchise quarterback and the heir to Manning, and being successful on the first try is worth more than any win this season.
Last modified: Jul 23, 2023
