Background of the Giants Season so far

The 2022 New York Football Giants were a very special team. They started the season with a brand new head coach, general manager, and a whole new coaching staff. They also started with a quarterback who had a shaky first 3 years in the NFL. However, they beat the Tennessee Titans in a week 1 game with a game winning touchdown from star running back Saquon Barkely. This game started a very long journey that got the Giants to the divisional round of the playoffs after winning a wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings. However, their season ended against the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs. This season, there were high expectations for the New York Giants. They hadn’t lost really any notable players and gained a couple of players from free agency that they needed to improve their team. Once week 1 hit, the Giants played the Cowboys Monday night, home, at Metlife Stadium. That game was the opposite any Giants fan had expected. The Giants ended up losing 40-0 that night, pretty much summing the start of the New York Giants season. A few weeks later, starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ACL in a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. This left one QB remaining in the depth chart, Tommy Devito. Tommy Devito was an undrafted rookie, who played highschool ball right here in New Jersey at Don Bosco prep, was put into a huge role in his first year in the NFL. However, these past two weeks, Tommy Devito has had two amazing performances and has led the New York Giants to two straight wins. This leaves us to think, is this a Tommy Devito miracle, or is he the real deal. There is an argument that can be made for both sides of this story. Being an undrafted rookie quarterback and winning two straight games in the NFL is a really hard thing to do, however Tommy Devito has made it happen. Many fans around the world think that he must just be lucky, he can’t possibly be able to continue this performance for that much longer. However, maybe Tommy Devito is just a good quarterback in the NFL. It may be hard to say this as he wasn’t even drafted, but the stats prove that he could really become a good quarterback in the NFL. As the Giants are currently 4-8, this leaves us to question, can the Giants still make the playoffs with Tommy Devito as their quarterback? The Giants could very well be 6-6 and in a much better position in the playoff picture if it weren't for two very tough losses against the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. 

Green Bay Week

The Giants are three days away from their next game against the Green Bay Packers in a Monday night football game. Last week, the Packers had a very hard fought win against the former super bowl champions, The Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers have really sparked up as of late and I have been playing really good football, led by 1st year starter Jordan Love. Jordan Love has backed up Aaron Rodgers for three years and has finally gotten the chance to prove himself, and has not been disappointing. He had a rocky first few games, which was expected, but ever since then he has been playing really amazing. So, what do the Giants need to do to be able to win this game? To start off, the Giants are playing in Metlife, their home field. So they need to be able to use their home field to their advantage during this game. Next, the Giants defense has been playing outstanding as of late. They have been getting the turnovers the team needs to win games. They need to continue doing this by continuing to send the pressure. Wink Martindale, the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, has been doing a really great job calling the defense ever since he first arrived here in the beginning of the 2022 season. One big reason why Wink Martindale's defense has been getting the turnovers they need to win games as of late, is because Wink martindale sends more pressure towards the QB than any other defensive coordinator in the NFL.     Some key players on the defensive side that are going to be a factor in this game are: Kayvon Thibedeux, Dexter Lawrence, and star rookie corner Deonte Banks. Thibedeux and Lawrence are essential in this game as they need to get pressure on Jordan Love and keep him from having too much time in the pocket, where he makes his biggest plays. All eyes are going to be on rookie corner Deonte Banks as he has a tough matchup against Christian Watson who has been playing really well as of lately. He needs to be able to hold Watson from breaking off big plays, and keep him in front of him for the Giants to win on monday. As for the offensive side of the ball, Tommy Devito will be getting his fourth straight start even with the return of veteran Tyrod Taylor. If the Giants want to win this game, Mike Kafka, the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, has to call a really good game. They need to call plays similar to Tommy Devito’s strengths and keep him away from his weaknesses. Some key players on offense for the Giants that need to be utilized are Saquon Barkley, Jalin Hyatt, and Daniel Bellinger. Barkley is the biggest playmaker for the Giants offense and needs to be utilized if they want to win this game.  Jalin Hyatt is coming off his first 100 yard receiving game of his career and really showed his potential against the Patriots on Sunday. If they can use his speed to their advantage, the packers are going to have a really tough time stopping him. Finally, the second year tight end Daniel Bellinger. Bellinger has been backing up Darren Waller most of the season, but with Waller hurt, Bellinger needs to step up in this offense.  

New Orleans Saints Week

The performance the Giants had on Monday night, has made every NFL fan wonder, are the Giants the real deal? Tommy Devito, who after Monday night, became the first undrafted rookie quarterback to win three games in a row without throwing a single interception. Tommy Devito, the Jersey native has been getting it done and the Giants have been winning games because of it. Suddenly, the offense has found what clicks for them and the defense is getting much more turnovers and stops that have been helping the Giants win games. But why all of the sudden are the Giants playing their best football? It leaves you to wonder if the undrafted QB story of Tommy Devito has motivated this team to play for something. This past couple of weeks especially, the Giants have been playing with something to prove. With every win they get, the Giants chance of making the playoffs gets higher by the day. Is it really possible for this team to make the playoffs after losing what they thought was their franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones? This week the Giants face off against the New Orleans Saints on the road. Another win for the Giants will definitely improve their chances of making the playoffs, but the odds are still definitely not in their favor. The Giants need another turnover free game from Tommy Devito if they want to win this game, which has proven to not be much of an issue. If they continue to do that next week, I think the Giants have a very good chance of beating this shaky Saints team.   

Season Wrap Up

It's been a couple weeks now and the Giants win streak has finally come to an end and they have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Since the win the team got against the Packers, they have gone 0-3. They lost to the Saints, the Eagles, and then this past week the Rams. To add to that, the legend of Tommy Devito came to an end in Philadelphia as he was benched for backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who also got the start against the Rams this previous week. The Giants had the opportunity to beat the Eagles and even get a win at home against the Rams, however they were not able to finish these games causing them to lose both of those. Now that the Giants season is officially over, we have the opportunity to reflect on this season. After last season's performance, making it to the playoffs and even winning a game, this year was not what any Giants fan expected. Their first game against the Dallas Cowboys, they lost 40-0 at home. A couple weeks later, Daniel Jones tore his ACL and was out for the rest of the season. Not only that, with recurring injuries with the O-line, the Giants were never able to sustain a pass protection and led the league with the most sacks allowed with 76. It makes you wonder if the Giants are off to the same path as they were a few years back, a complete rebuild. Adding on, this next week may be the last week as a Giant for players Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkely. The two of them have been the heart and sole of this team for a number of years. It would feel like a punch to the gut for Giants fans if these two do leave. The question is, how are the Giants going to respond this offseason?  Do they draft or trade for a quarterback, do they stick with Daniel Jones, who do they pick up in free agency? However, with Joe Schoan and Brian Dabol, I am confident to say that anything is possible. So, as the Giants season officially comes to an end, Giants fans must wait till next year to see if their team, the New York Giants, are a team that can compete with the rest of the league.