The New York Giants’ season is off to a disastrous start as they hold a 1-5 record through the first six weeks of the season. The Giants have faced a gauntlet of elite teams to kick off their season, possessing one of the toughest schedules in the NFL.
But entering their Week 7 matchup with the Washington Commanders, Big Blue’s schedule seems to be easing up, providing them with an opportunity to turn their season around.
The Giants have an easier schedule forthcoming
The Giants have been matched up with some of the best teams in the NFL through the first six weeks of the season. The Dallas Cowboys, San Fransisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills all have winning records. Only the Arizona Cardinals (New York’s only win of the season) have a losing record.
The Giants’ next three opponents have a combined record of 9-9 (.500) entering Week 7 — a far more favorable stretch than their first six games in which New York’s opponents had a combined 22-13 (.628) through six weeks. Taking the Arizona Cardinals out of the equation, the Giants’ first six opponents have a 21-8 record (.724).
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The 49ers and Dolphins sit at the top of their respective conferences with the Cowboys and Bills trailing closely behind. In all likelihood, five of Big Blue’s first six opponents this season will make the playoffs by the end of the year.
Their next three opponents, however, are all considered fringe post-season contenders or teams unlikely to extend their seasons into January.
In Week 7, the Giants will host the Washington Commanders in a must-win divisional matchup before facing the New York Jets in a Week 8 MetLife Bowl, then traveling to Las Vegas to play the middling Raiders on the road. All three of these teams have better records than the Giants, but all three of these teams have their share of glaring weaknesses. These are three winnable games that could help New York get its season back on track.
Can Big Blue still enter the postseason race?
The playoffs seem like a long shot for a 1-5 time that has failed to score a touchdown in three-and-a-half games. However, making an immaculate postseason run is not outside of the realm of possibility.
Just last season, the Detroit Lions went on a run that the New York Giants should aim to replicate. The Lions started the year at 1-6 before finishing with a 9-8 record, just narrowly missing a postseason berth.
In Week 6, the Giants gave the Bills a run for their money, keeping the game within striking distance until the final seconds. This matchup demonstrated progress for a struggling Big Blue team that looked as though winning a football game was an impossibility for the past several weeks.
Now, with the defense heating up and the offense beginning to show some signs of life, the Giants could get hot at the right time in their schedule and save their season. It may be unlikely, but it is not impossible. And as the great Hall of Famer Micahel Strahan once said, “Believe it, and it will happen.”