CBS Sports Doubts Giants Return to Postseason in 2023
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O ye of little faith?
That's the sentiment CBS Sports' Will Brinson, who predicts that the New York Giants, one of the surprise teams last year to make the playoffs, could be one of seven teams that don't make it to the postseason this year, is expressing.
Brinson notes that the Giants still have many questions that make their chances of notching back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since the 2005-2008 seasons slim.
Here is what has Brinson concerned:
Daniel Jones was on the way out in New York before Brian Daboll's arrival changed the trajectory of his career. Saquon Barkley remains away from the team, unhappy with his contract after receiving the franchise tag; it's not likely a huge problem, but it's not nothing, given how important the running back is to this offense. The Giants have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL just a year after having one of the easiest; they're also heavily featured in primetime matchups and draw the 49ers on the road for their Thursday matchup. New York went 7-3-1 in one-score games last year.
Let's take each concern one by one.
Daniel Jones
There is still a significant amount of people who refuse to believe that Daniel Jones is the long-term answer at quarterback for the Giants. That New York structured a four-year contract to have an out after two years certainly didn't help reinforce any growing confidence the team might have in the fifth-year quarterback, with those skeptics pointing out that the Giants weren't in a position to draft a franchise quarterback and that Jones was the best option given the circumstances.
Okay, that's fair. But all things considered, Jones was able to make do with very little last year, including an inconsistent offensive line and a group of young receivers in Darius Slayton, Isaaih Hidgins, and Richie James, two of whom (Hodgins and James) were cast-offs by their previous teams (Bills and 49ers) and one of which (Slayton) very nearly didn't make the Giants roster.
People will point to Saquon Barkley's contributions as the reason why the Giants offense functioned, but there were times last year when Barkley was a non-factor, yet the Giants still found ways to be competitive.
That said, Giants general manager Joe Schoen vastly upgraded the Giants weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball. They project to have a much improved offensive line with the addition of center John Michael Schmitz.
They added speed to the receiving group, which includes tight end Darren Waller, a guy whom many projects will be a matchup nightmare. They also added rookie Jalin Hyatt and veteran Parris Campbell, two guys capable of breaking things wide-open, and they have a group of yards-after-catch receivers who can turn a short gain into something significant.
Simply put, if everyone stays healthy, there's no reason to think Jones, who, by the way, has his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach back--both were being considered for promotions with other teams--will regress.
Saquon Barkley
Yes, Barkley and the Giants are at an impasse right now, but the bottom line is that Barkley will show up before reopening day, regardless of what happens with his contract. He'd be foolish not to as if he doesn't get the kind of deal he wants, what better way to boost his market value even further than to come in and light things up?
A motivated Barkley can be a good thing for a Giants offense looking to start rolling over opponents rather than playing in those tight one-score games that were common last year.
And while Barkley is an important cog of the offense, the additions of Waller, Hyatt, and Campbell have set things up where the Giants no longer have to rely solely on Barkley.
Giants fans may remember a few years ago when the team's offense consisted of receiver Odell Beckahm Jr and nothing else, and when opponents figured out how to minimize Beckahm's impact, the Giants were left scrambling.
That shouldn't be the case this year. In fact, it wouldn't be a shock to the system if Barkley's touches are reduced ever so slightly to keep him fresh for what will hopefully be a long season for the Giants.
The Schedule
The strength-of-schedule stat is one of, if not the most, overrated and useless stats to use in gauging a team's success. For recent proof of that, look no further than those teams last year who had the Los Angeles Rams on their schedule, a team whose .706 winning percentage boosted their opponents' strength of schedule. The 2022 version of the Rams saw their 12-5 record from the previous year flip to a 5-12 mark--and a .294 winning percentage.
The point is that some teams have improved and others haven't, and we won't know who those teams are for a while yet. If you want to point to the Giants' schedule as a potential reason for them to struggle to the playoffs, you could point to the fact that seven of their first 12 games are on the road or that four of their five scheduled primetime appearances are early in the season.
But you can also counter those arguments, particularly the one about the Giants being on the road so much in the first 12 games, by pointing out how the Giants will be playing in their environment in three of the last five games of the season when playoff berths start to crystallize.
The point is the schedule is the schedule. And the "strength of schedule" argument just doesn't hold the water that some seem to think it does.
Final Thoughts
I remain amazed at how far some are willing to go out on a limb to predict won-loss records without knowing what the final rosters will look like or the other factors that go into various games. The mention of the 49ers game in the article? Yes, a tough contest, but not impossible, and for proof of that, look back to last year when the Giants beat the Packers on the road in London, going on to notch victories against the Ravens and JAguars (not to mention the season-opening win over the Titans).
The point is that anything can happen on any given Sunday. Let's wait until the rosters around the league take shape before laying down the stakes as to who will earn a postseason berth.
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