Every team enters a new NFL season with the same end goal in mind: get into the playoffs and make a run for a Super Bowl. For some teams, however, that goal is more realistic than for others. And some teams have those dreams die rather early on in the season. That feeling of it being over before it even gets started is a tough pill to swallow, and that’s a feeling most New York Giants fans had after the first two weeks of the season.
The Giants got off to a rough 0-2 start but have since bounced back, winning two of their last three games and improving their record to 2-3 on the season. Now, instead of looking like their season will be over by the end of this month, the Giants look like their season is just getting started. Could they get back in the playoff race?
The Giants’ odds of making the postseason are still slim
At 2-3, the Giants currently have just a 29% chance of making it to the postseason (h/t Fansided). That percentage is obviously subject to change, however, and could increase drastically if Big Blue sneaks out a win in Week 6.
The Giants will host the Cincinnati Bengals on primetime in Week 6 in what has now become a winnable matchup. The Bengals are 1-4 despite entering the season with potential championship aspirations. Now they are in danger of watching the wheels fall off if they lose on the road to the Giants this upcoming Sunday night.
A few more wins would get the Giants back in the race
Despite their low odds of making the playoffs, the Giants could get back in the race with a few more wins. In the current playoff picture, a 3-2 record has NFC teams in the Wild Card spots. Improving to 3-3 and eventually having a chance to get to 4-2 could get the G-Men in the race. However, while Sunday night’s game against the Bengals is winnable, it will be a tough one, as will their following matchup in Week 7 against the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers.
What might get in the way of the Giants’ potential playoff push is their record against the division. They are already 0-2 against the division, having lost matchups against the Washington Commanders in Week 2 and the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. The Giants need to pick up wins in their next matchups against the NFC East in order to improve their chances of making it to the playoff dance.
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Despite the team’s flaws and inconsistencies, the Giants are playing some good football right now. QB Daniel Jones has bounced back after a slow start to the season and is currently 11th in the NFL with 1,138 passing yards while also adding a 6-3 TD-INT ratio. If he can continue to play well, the Giants can definitely find themselves winning more games.
Ultimately, making the postseason after a 1-3 start will be a difficult task for Big Blue — but it’s not impossible. In what is a crucial season for head coach Brian Daboll, leading the G-Men back to the dance would go a long way toward reinstilling confidence in the team’s direction from the fans.
