There were not many people that thought the Giants and Jets could combine for 7 wins, let alone
that both teams would reach that mark in the middle of the season.
For the Giants, it’s been a combination of strong coaching from first-year head coach Brian Daboll and his staff, as well as the overachieving play of quarterback Daniel Jones and the defense. The best sign for the Giants has been Saquon Barkley.
The fifth-year running back will eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time since 2019 and is looking to play his first full season since his 2018 rookie campaign.
The season for the Giants has started to take a turn. Losing 3 of their last 4 to drop them to a 7-4
record, and now just a game up in the playoff race in the NFC.
Their latest game on Thanksgiving had a lot of storylines. The obvious being the divisional rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams entered 7-3 and vying for a wild card spot, with the Philadelphia Eagles seemingly in firm control of the NFC East division.
Against the Cowboys, the Giants had a 13-7 lead at halftime, riding the strength of the defense. But the offense floundered in the second half.
Daniel Jones only managed to complete 21-35 passes. Two of the 4 possessions ended with turning the ball over on downs in the second half. This allowed the Cowboys to get their offense going and eventually pull off a 28-20 victory.
With the trade deadline having come and gone, the Giants have no immediate help incoming– lest they make a last-minute signing many nostalgic fans are clamoring for.
OBJ: To Return or not to Return?
Is a reunion with old friend Odell Beckham Jr. (“OBJ”) in the cards for Big Blue? The former Giant receiver was traded to the Cleveland Browns in an unceremonious end to his New York tenure. OBJ tore his ACL in 2020 with the Browns, ending his season.
The next season, controversy arose.
OBJ’s father ranted on social media that then-Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was purposefully not targeting his son. OBJ was subsequently released in November 2021, and promptly picked up by the Los Angeles Rams a few days later. He would go on to help them
win the Super Bowl, but at the cost of tearing his ACL once more.
Rumors have swirled of late that the free agent OBJ has drawn the interest of both the Giants and the Cowboys. As is customary with the polarizing talent though, social media games commenced with both teams— leading some analysts to call the wideout as immature as ever.
Former Giants cornerback Charles James tweeted in response to a Beckham post, “So you celebrating on the star,” to which Beckham would respond, “I miss Saquon.”
The Cowboys-Giants game on Thanksgiving — the most-watched regular season game ever — even had people saying the winner should get Beckham as their prize, the two teams wanting to reinforce their offense.
This, of course, was all before Sunday, when Beckham was escorted off an American Airlines flight by police in Miami. Flight attendants reported Beckham was in and out of consciousness when they asked him to put on his seatbelt.
One fear circling is that Beckham, who has had a knack for some bad spotlight, would not be able to handle returning to the New York market.
If he does sign somewhere this season, the talent itself is certainly a major asset to whatever team wants to take a chance on him. He can certainly get it done on the field, but can he keep his cool off of it?
