After playing a pointless game against the Philadelphia Eagles that made no difference to their playoff picture (resting just about all their starters) the 9-7-1 Giants are heading back to the playoffs as they head north to play the Minnesota Vikings next week. Here’s some quick facts since the clubs Super Bowl 46 run 10 years back:
1) They’ve played one single playoff game. 2016 getting crushed 38-13 at home.
2) 2 total winning seasons, including one in the the aforementioned 2016 season.
3) 7 of the past 8 seasons with at least 10+ losses.
4) 5 head coaches, including 4 since 2016.
5) Were 25th or worse in the league in points scored, including league worst 3 of the past 5 years.
The list goes on. But none of that matters. The New York Football Giants are playoff bound. And unlike the 2016 season which was preceded by 4 straight losing seasons, there’s a strange sense in Big Blue Nation: HOPE. Not a fool’s hope, a real one. We felt it going into this season when Bills Assistant GM Joe Schoen was hired as GM and and brought Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll in as head coach.
In the 5 years Schoen was Assistant GM the team made the playoffs four times and found phenom Josh Allen in the process; to say nothing of this current 13-3 season. In my 40+ years of following this team, I haven’t seen this degree of excitement since the 80s days of Lawrence Taylor & Phil Simms. And in playing against the Vikings, I personally believe this is a winable game. In facing the heavily favored Vikings 3 weeks ago the team dominated on both sides of the ball, but in the process giving up 2 turnovers hurt their chances, allowing Minnesota to eek out a victory. I feel the team will be smarter this time around and can use the sting of that recent loss to their advantage this time around.
Close game, but my prediction: Giants 24 Vikings 22.
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