Only about a month ago, the New York Giants were one of the NFL’s feel-good stories.
They leaped out to a surprising 7-2 start, and many were impressed with how they were consistently winning without a top-flight quarterback or any high-quality wide receivers.
But they have failed to win a single game in the last four weeks, and they’re coming off a rough 48-22 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at home.
As of now, New York holds a 7-5-1 record, which puts them in the NFC’s final Wild Card playoff spot, but it is very much fighting for its postseason chances.
Is the team headed for an empty finish in which it fails to qualify for the NFL playoffs?
The Giants Have Plenty Of Weaknesses
In his fourth pro season, QB1 Daniel Jones has shown minimal improvement, mostly in limiting his interceptions, but on the season he only has 12 touchdown passes and a 91.6 passer rating.
His best strength seems to be his ability to extend plays and move the chains with his legs – he has 548 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns this year, both of which are career highs.
The Giants’ best wideout is Darius Slayton, who has a relatively modest 608 yards and two touchdowns through 12 games.
On the other hand, Saquon Barkley is a bona fide star.
After a couple of injury-riddled seasons, he has accumulated 1,083 yards and eight touchdowns so far this season, and it isn’t a stretch to say he is the Giants’ offense.
The Giants are 1-4 this year when Saquon Barkley gets less than 20 touches (Including last game against the Eagles)
How crucial is Saquon to this team?#TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/IiKq98G11i
— GiantsMuse (@NYGiantsMuse) December 12, 2022
New York Has A Challenging Schedule Remaining
The thing that may ultimately do New York in is the fact that it has games at the Minnesota Vikings and Eagles coming up in the next few weeks.
With the Seattle Seahawks lurking and the Detroit Lions starting to perk up, the Giants need to stand especially tall in order to make it to the postseason.
NEXT: The Giants Have Their Playoff Dreams On The Line Sunday