It has been a long time since the Giants had this kind of January outlook.
New York is 5-2-1 after nine weeks and sitting on top of the NFC East with a 2.5-game cushion, a sharp turn from where the season opened. NFL.com has the Giants with a 66% shot at the playoffs, and DraftKings has them at -220 to win the division. That is a major swing from +600 before the season and even +1100 after Jaxson Dart went down for the year.
With the trade deadline now behind them, the Giants’ place in the NFC picture is clear enough to start looking ahead. If the season ended today, they would be the No. 3 seed, and the matchup waiting there carries a strange bit of symmetry.
Here is the NFC playoff field entering Week 10:
- San Francisco 49ers, 7-1
- Chicago Bears, 7-2
- New York Giants, 5-2-1
- Carolina Panthers, 3-5
- Detroit Lions, 6-2
- Minnesota Vikings, 6-2
- Green Bay Packers, 6-3
The NFC North has taken over the Wild Card race, with Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay all packed into the three spots behind Chicago. But the detail that jumps out for Giants fans is the seed alignment: No.
3 New York and No. 6 Minnesota.
That pairing would hit a nerve for anyone who remembers 1997. The last time the Giants finished as the NFC’s third seed, Jim Fassel’s 10-5-1 team hosted the sixth-seeded Vikings in the Wild Card round and lost 23-22 after blowing a late lead. Nearly 30 years later, the same seeds are in play again.
There is another layer to the Giants-Vikings connection, too. The Giants last reached the postseason in 2022, when Brian Daboll’s first-year team went to Minneapolis and beat the Vikings 31-24 in the Wild Card round.
That team also tied Washington in the regular season. Now, four years later, another first-year head coach has New York back in the hunt, and another tie is already on the ledger.
Then there is the J.J. McCarthy angle, which only adds to the oddness of the whole setup.
Minnesota dealt its former No. 10 overall pick to New York for a fifth-rounder after apparently moving on from him earlier this season. McCarthy is now 2-0 as the Giants’ starter.
Meanwhile, the Vikings sent a third-round pick to the Raiders to bring back 38-year-old Kirk Cousins.
The Giants still have plenty of football left, of course, and Washington comes to MetLife on Thursday night after the teams tied in Week 5. But for a fan base that has spent 15 years waiting for playoff football at MetLife, being in the No. 3 spot and controlling the NFC East is a very different feeling.
And if Minnesota ends up back in New Jersey in January, the Giants will have a chance to settle a 29-year-old score.
In Other News...
Giants Catch Commanders At A Brutal Time In NFC East Race
The Giants are catching Washington at a particularly messy stretch in the NFC East race, and the conversation around the Commanders has only gotten louder since their Week 5 meeting. Andrew Yorks recent interview dug into the reasons for the slide, from the offenses uneven play to the coaching decisions that have drawn scrutiny, with offensive coordinator David Blough and head coach Dan Quinn both landing in the crosshairs as the Commanders try to steady themselves.
Injuries have only complicated the picture, especially with Terry McLaurin among the key names affected, and the Giants have had their own quarterback changes to sort through as they prepare for the next phase of the season. York also pointed to broader issues like situational awareness and game management, while noting the defense has shown signs of improvement since adding a defensive consultant, a reminder that this division race may turn on more than just one matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Enter A Pivotal Stretch With Two Roster Updates Looming
The Giants have spent the last stretch leaning on flexibility and depth, and it has helped keep them competitive while the coaching staff continues to make strategic adjustments. Rookie Arvell Reese has already shown how valuable that can be by moving around the defense, while veteran D.J. Reader has backed up the eye test with strong play that has stood out in the grades.
Now the bigger roster picture is starting to come into focus with J.J. McCarthy and Cam Skattebo reportedly ready to return. For a team that has had to piece things together on the fly, those two reinforcements could give the Giants a different look at a time when every move matters, even if the exact timing of their comeback still leaves a little to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Trade Deadline Looks Better Thanks To An Unlikely Rookie
When the trade deadline came and went, the Giants decided against spending draft capital on a veteran defensive tackle, choosing instead to see what they already had in-house. That call looked a little more questionable at the time, but sixth-round rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis has helped change the conversation with a steady rise in playing time and some encouraging recent work against the run.
The bigger picture for the Giants is that the defensive line has started to look more settled, and not just because of one player. Jamison-Travis has been part of a group effort that has improved the teams ability to limit rushing yards, giving the front office at least some evidence that patience may have been the right play while the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]