Following their Week 12 win over the New England Patriots, the New York Giants are 4-8 and — somehow — firmly in the playoff hunt. Weeks ago, Big Blue was in the running for the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But after winning their last two games, New York is now only two games out of a Wild Card spot in the postseason.
The Giants are close to a Wild Card spot
At 4-8, the Giants are currently two games away from a Wild Card spot in the postseason. They have already been eliminated from Divisional contention as they are unable to match the Eagles’ 10 wins this season. However, following the Minnesota Vikings’s loss on Monday night, the Wild Card race is wide open.
Currently, the Vikings hold the seventh seed with a 6-6 record. On the playoff bubble behind them are the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints, all sitting at 5-6. Those teams are followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4-7, then followed by the 4-8 New York Giants.
The Giants face three of the four teams ahead of them in their remaining games on the schedule. In Week 14 they will host the Packers on Monday Night Football, then face the Saints on the road in Week 15, and later play the Rams in Week 17.
With a couple of crucial wins down the stretch here, Big Blue could easily find their way into the postseason. They would also need the Vikings to drop a few of their final games, but that seems entirely possible considering their recent poor performances.
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The Giants are also sitting near the top of the draft order
Despite it all, the Giants are two games out of a playoff spot while also holding the sixth-overall pick in the draft order. At 4-8, the G-Men are currently picking sixth in the draft, though, that is of course subject to significant change by the end of the season.
The remaining games of the season could go one of two ways. Either the Giants win a few key games down the stretch and fight their way close to or into the Wild Card spot, or they regress back to their losing way and tumble downward to secure a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Considering the poor quality of this team, any playoff berth would likely be accompanied by a quick exit from the postseason bracket. However, it is the NFL, and anything is possible. It’s also possible that New York loses out and winds up with a top-five pick in the draft.
It will be an interesting final month of the season that could ultimately decide the future plans of the Giants’ front office.
