The New York Giants will open the 2024 regular season on Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Giants are coming off a 2023 campaign that saw them finish with a record of 6-11, which is a far cry from their performance just two seasons ago. They were plagued by injuries and under-performance issues, and that led to significant turnover this offseason.
Entering the season, expectations are understandably low but inside the building, optimism and hope remain. Head coach Brian Daboll believes his squad can turn back the clock to 2022.
As we enter Week 1, here’s a look at where the Giants place in a multitude of power rankings.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 32
Any optimism that might have been engendered by the offseason version of “Hard Knocks” pretty much went out the window as soon as QB Daniel Jones reverted to his worst professional self during his preseason return.
Barry Werner, List Wire: 28
Malik Nabers was a wise choice over a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Brian Burns will give Big Blue fans a lot of joy. However, as long as they keep dancing around deciding if Daniel Jones is the quarterback or not…Big Blue is going to find trouble.
Jarrett Bailey, Touchdown Wire: 32
Jarrett Bailey, Touchdown Wire:
The Giants lost their best player Saquon Barkley to the division-rival Eagles, and Xavier McKinney signed with the Packers. Yes, they traded for Brian Burns, and their defensive line is full of talent on paper, but their quarterback is still going to be Daniel Jones (or Drew Lock) and who in the world are their skill position players? Don’t be shocked if 2024 is Brian Daboll’s last stand as head coach.
Dakota Randall, Pro Football Network: 29
Dakota Randall, Pro Football Network:
Are the Giants the entertaining overachievers we saw in 2022 or the inept mess we saw in 2023? They’re probably somewhere in the middle — which still means they’re a bad team.
Even so, New York could win some games if Daniel Jones bounces back and rookie receiver Malik Nabers delivers on his pre-draft hype.
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: 30
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:
The Giants have seen more of the shaky Daniel Jones post-major knee injury, and they will still struggle often despite having Malik Nabers. Their defense will need to be a bigger factor in keeping them competitive.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 30
The Giants are banking heavily on two things this season: Their defensive line might be one of the best in the NFL, and Malik Nabers could step right into a 100-catch season. The rest? It might not be very pretty. This is a tough task for Brian Daboll, who is likely on the hot seat.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 29
Diante Lee, The Ringer: 26
If you’re a fantasy football nerd, it should be fun to see how many ways New York will manufacture touches for rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who can stretch the field when he’s lined up on the outside or be a yards-after-the-catch threat when he plays in the slot. If you’re a scheme nerd, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was on the cutting edge of using simulated pressures and changing up coverage schemes when he called plays under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. With Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence teaming up to stop the run and Deonte Banks leading the secondary, the defense could be stingy.
Outside of that, though, what’s the draw to watch this team in 2024? Daniel Jones is in a lame-duck year as the starting quarterback, the right side of the offensive line is still a major issue, and there isn’t enough depth at running back behind Devin Singletary to keep Jones from taking a major beating as the second option in the run game.
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