New York Giants: 5 Bold Predictions for The 2020 Season
With the start of the 2020 NFL season now just weeks away, we will soon get to see Joe Judge’s new-look Giants in real-time action.
The expectations for the Giants have ranged from "playoffs or bust" to a .500 record.
While there are any number of expectations out there held by different people, let's turn our attention to five bold predictions for the Giants’ 2020 season that have a realistic chance of happening if the chips fall into place.
1. Daniel Jones throws for over 4,000 yards
Despite having a reoccurring fumbling problem, Jones still had a decent rookie season. He threw for 3,027 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2019, and also had 279 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Jones also made mistakes, throwing 12 interceptions and losing 11 fumbles. Still, overall, he proved that he has the arm strength, accuracy, and pocket awareness necessary to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Expectations will be higher for Jones in his second season. He now has Jason Garrett as his offensive coordinator, someone who has recent experience working with another talented young quarterback with Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
With Garrett as his new offensive coordinator, don’t be surprised if Jones takes a significant step forward in year two and throws for over 4,000 yards. If his receivers all stay healthy, this should be an attainable goal since Jones threw for over 3,000 yards in 13 games as a rookie.
2. Leonard Williams records a career-high eight sacks
The Giants placed their franchise tag on Williams back in March, and he signed the one-year franchise tender just over a month later. It would not be an overstatement to say that this is a make-or-break year for the former sixth overall pick out of USC, who is undoubtedly looking for a large payday to get him set financially for life.
Williams’ best season with the Jets was in 2016 when he recorded 68 total tackles and seven sacks. The Giants are hoping that a new scheme that's better suited to each player's talents results in optimal results.
Does that mean that Williams becomes more productive with getting home against the pass rusher? If the coaches can find a way to help him finish his pass rushes, an eight-sack season, while admittedly a hefty goal, isn't unrealistic.
3. Saquon Barkley will rush for over 1,500 yards and win the rushing title
After bursting onto the scene as a rookie in 2018, Barkley had a somewhat disappointing second season in the NFL, though not necessarily his fault.
A high ankle sprain forced him to miss three games. When he returned, he wasn't entirely over the injury, yet he somehow rushed for just over 1,000 yards and scored six times on the ground. He also caught 52 passes for 438 yards and had two receiving touchdowns.
That’s not exactly what you would call a bad season for a running back, but Barkley has shown us in the past that he’s capable of much more. As long as he stays healthy in 2020, he should have a bounce-back year.
What kind of numbers are we talking about? Well, Derrick Henry of the Titans won the NFL’s rushing title in 2019 with 1,540 total yards on the ground. So for Barkley, who has an improved offensive line, the run blocking should be much better than last year, which would give Barkley has a decent chance to accomplish a similar feat.
Barkley rushed for over 1,300 yards as a rookie, and that was with an iffy offensive line. With an improved unit blocking for him, the sky's the limit for Barkley and the Giants running game this year.
4. Xavier McKinney wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
Expectations are high for the Giants’ second-round draft pick this year and with good reason.
McKinney is a swiss army knife type of player whose versatility could open up a whole other level for the Giants defense in terms of personnel deployments.
Along with Julian Love and Jabrill Peppers, McKinney gives the Giants a solid three-safety set that can also potentially help the pass rush be more productive. But in getting back to McKinney, who in his junior season at Alabama, he had 95 total tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, and four forced fumbles. His versatility could very well make those Giants fans who wanted Isaiah Simmons in the draft forget all about him.
McKinney is arguably the most critical player in the Giants’ secondary, and he has not even played a snap in the NFL yet.
Granted, McKinney has a lot of competition for Defensive Rookie of the Year, including Chase Young, Isaiah Simmons, Jeff Okudah, C.J. Henderson, and Javon Kinlaw.
It’s not going to be easy for McKinney to emerge as the top defensive rookie, but he has the talent to compete for the honor, and if he is put in the right spots to make plays, it's not out of the question that he'll receive some votes.
5. The Giants will have a winning season for the first time since 2016
It’s been four years since the Giants had a winning season. In fact, over the last three years, the Giants have won just 12 games, one game more than they won in the 2016 season.
Head coach, Joe Judge, is doing everything right to change that and get this team back on track. He's brought the kind of passion and intensity to the position that this team has not had since the days of Tom Coughlin.
Judge expects a lot out of his players, and he does not favor anyone. He also has a detailed plan to get the team where he thinks it can be.
With that said, Judge is not going to have an easy road ahead of him this season. The Giants’ schedule includes trips to Seattle, Los Angeles, and Baltimore and home contests against Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay.
The six games the Giants have to play against the other teams in the NFC East are not exactly going to be easy either. Still, that's why you lien up and play the game each week, and if Judge can get this team to win nine games, that will have been quite an accomplishment given where the team was when he was first hired.
