The New York Giants came into the 2022-2023 season with very low expectations. With a quarterback still trying to prove he deserves to be in the NFL, a running back who had been injured most of last season, and a brand new head coach, there was no possible way to predict how the Giants' season would go. But what ended up happening, was something so incredibly mind-blowing, that it still feels unbelievable, even after it's all been said and done.
The New York Giants opened up the season with three wins and one loss, which on its own is not spectacular, but for a franchise that had suffered so much failure in the past few years, this was a refreshing breath of success. But the success did not stop there, the Giants carried their momentum through the middle of the season and had seven wins and two losses going after week 10. In fact, just midway through the season, the Giants had as many wins as most people thought they would have all season. Instead, the Giants were easily surpassing all expectations and looked like a team that could have a legitimate shot in the playoffs. While there was still some hesitancy surrounding much of the team, as well as worry about whether or not this success would be short-lived, Giants fans were still optimistic.
Unfortunately, the Giants would not have that same level of success in the second half of the season, finishing with just two more wins for a record of nine wins, seven losses, and one tie. But regardless the Giants had done just enough to give them the sixth seed in the NFC and make it into the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Their opponents… the Minneapolis Vikings, who they had lost to just two weeks earlier due to a last-second 60-yard field goal. So the Giants' first playoff game in nearly half a decade was also a perfect chance for a revenge game. But many still had their doubts about the Giants’ capabilities going into the game and whether they actually stood a chance. The game started off with the Vikings marching straight down the field for the opening score of the game but what followed was a testament to just how much the team has grown over the year. After the Vikings' initial score, Daniel Jones took the Giants' offense and led them in one of the best drives he has had all year. Daniel Jones not only looked like an elite quarterback but he led the offense like one, making good decisions whenever possible to find who is open, and when caught in a tough spot, was able to scramble and make something out of nothing to keep the Giants offense moving. One very important note that needs to be made is that the Giants had no true first receiver, meaning Daniel Jones was playing with a group of completely average receivers at best, all of whom stepped up to the occasion in one way or another, but the main takeaway is that Daniel Jones was able to do a lot with very little resources at his hand. Some credit also needs to be given to Saquon Barkley, who also showed pure determination to want to win this game and showed maximum effort every time he was given the ball. The Giant's offense as a whole looked the best it had been all season all throughout the game and watching it felt almost as if this was a completely different team than the one that only won 4 games last season. A huge amount of credit also needs to be given to the defense who although was not impenetrable, did more than enough to stop the Viking's offense. Another important note about the team, this playoff game was the first game in the entire season where the Giants had all their starters playing. The team as a whole had been plagued with injuries, but the defense has faced the worst, losing various players to injury throughout the season. While it would be a stretch to say the Giants dominated the game, it seemed as though they had full control of the game for most of it, with the Vikings having to play catch-up for a large portion of the game. Daniel Jones finished his remarkable playoff debut with 24/35 passes, over 300 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and over 70 rushing yards. The game was sealed by a perfectly executed tackle by Xavier McKinney in the final minutes of the game to completely cut off the Vikings from attempting to come back and score.
The Giants' next playoff game, however, did not go so well. After their strong victory over the Vikings, many thought the Giants would have a chance to compete against the number one-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. As two divisional rivals still being alive so far into the playoffs is rare, the stakes for this game were even higher. It would be monumental for the New York Giants to win this game. But… what actually happened was again something not many people saw coming, although this time it was overestimation leading to a complete embarrassment for the New York Giants. Many thought that at the very least this game would be a close competition between two elite teams, instead, the Giants were completely scoreless in the first half of the game while the Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 lead. The Giants were being absolutely pummeled and their fairytale story was quickly being burned from right under their noses. The game finished with the Eagles winning 38-7 and while the game was a huge blow to the Giants and their playoff run, it was not completely disheartening.
This Giants team was not expected to have more wins than losses this year, yet they came in, ignored all the noise surrounding them, and were able to have a huge amount of success. In fact, a team doing this well with a brand new head coach after dealing with so much failure is both unheard of and a very good indication that this team is headed in the right direction. This is best encompassed by a quote from NFL analyst Max Kellerman:
The Giants making the playoffs was truly an achievement that showed this team was finally heading in the right direction, the Giants winning a playoff game was just icing on the cake. So even though the Giants' playoffs ended in a disastrous fashion there is nothing but hope and optimism for the future of this team. Daniel Jones has more than proven himself to be a capable and elite quarterback while Saquon Barkley has earned himself a payday, and although both of these players will become free agents this offseason, there is a very high likelihood that the Giants resign both of them and they can pick off their success right where they left off.