The Giants haven’t figured out how to win on a consistent basis. Conversely, they have mastered losing. Not just this season —- they are 2-7 going into Sunday’s Week 10 matchup versus the similarly bad Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany (9:30 a.m. kickoff) — but over the last eight seasons.
They have finished below .500 in all but one, in 2022, when they were 9-7-1 and won a wildcard game on the road versus the Minnesota Vikings. It was head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen’s first time leading the team. The success may have been fool’s gold, painting a false picture that they had a promising base on which to build. Quarterback Daniel Jones had his best year as a pro and was signed to a new four-year, $160 million deal in March 2023, ensuring at least two more years of trying to prove the team could win a Super Bowl with him.
As it stands today, he won’t be the Giants starting QB next season, and Daboll and Schoen will essentially be back at square one in their search for the next hope at the position, in what will be their fourth season as the pilots of a plane that is currently nose diving. The Giants’ 27-22 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday on their home turf at MetLife Stadium was their fourth straight.
So what is their plan moving forward?
“Just understanding your ‘why,’ why you play this sport and who you do it for,” said defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence on Sunday. “We’re grown out here. We got to be able to motivate ourselves and just play a simple game of football. That’s it.”
But not just for this season. They will prepare for each of their eight remaining games to win but no one in the organization is in a delusional state of believing the Giants are playing for little more than pride and future contracts. What about next season?
They will be competing in the NFC East division with two likely Super Bowl contenders — the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles — currently 7-2 and 6-2 respectively with young dynamic quarterbacks in Washington’s 23-year-old rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and Philadelphia’s 26-year-old Jalen Hurts, who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, losing 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Daboll and Schoen must demonstrate over the next nine weeks that they can keep the team focused and competitive. Develop young talent such as cornerback Dru Phillips, safety Tyler Nubin and tight end Theo Johnson, all rookies, as important pieces to their construction project, and the Giants are inarguably an arduous project.
The 3-6 Jets, coming off of a 21-13 win over the Houston Texans on October 31, will meet the 5-4 Arizona Cardinals on the road on Sunday (4:25 p.m.).