New York Giants - Week 18 Storylines to Watch

The Giants will throw the dirt on another lost season this Sunday as they wrap up a disappointing 2021 season at home against the Washington Football Team.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 5, 2022 8:00 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

Congratulations, Giants fans. We've made it to the end of what has been a disappointing season.

Unfortunately, there's still one more football game to go for the Giants, and it will be against the Washington Football Team, who also have been eliminated from postseason consideration.

What stories are likely to emerge this week? Let's run down the list.

Can Jake Fromm Redeem Himself?

The last time quarterback Jake Fromm started for the Giants was his first NFL start. And it didn't exactly go well.

Fromm, who started against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, finished six of 17 for 25 yards and one interception before being pulled for Mike Glennon in the third quarter.

With Glennon headed to injured reserve with a wrist issue to his non-throwing hand, and the season about to end, the Giants have no choice but to give Fromm another crack at convincing them that he's worth keeping around as a potential developmental project next year.

Brian Lewerke will back up Fromm. The latter has been on the practice squad virtually all year yet which, despite the poor play in recent weeks by the Giants quarterbacks, never even got so much as a sniff of consideration after starter Daniel Jones went down.

Can Saquon Barkley Do It Again?

Last week marked the first time since December 22, 2019, that Saquon Barkley rushed for over 100 yards. Ironically, that game in 2019 just so happened to come against Washington, saw Saquon run for a career-high 189 yards.

There have been a lot of questions about whether Barkley is back to being his old self, and certainly, based on last week's showing, in which he did indeed look to be his old self, people are probably wondering if it was sheer luck or if he's back on track.

A follow-up big showing against the league's eight-best run defense (105.1 yards allowed per game) sure would go a long way toward dispelling any beliefs that Barkley simply got lucky for one week.

Another Milestone in the Giants-Washington Rivalry History

The Giants have a lot of history with the Washington football franchise, and this weekend they're about to add one more historical note to that book.

The Giants will be the last team to play the franchise currently known as the Washington Football Team, as the burgundy and gold announced that it would unveil its new club name on February 2, 2022.

Will the Fans Come?

MetLife Stadium offers 82,500 seats, but even though Giants season ticket holders are required to buy the full block of season tickets in advance, given how poorly the team has played, it would not be a shocking development if the stadium is roughly a quarter full on Sunday.

The combination of bad weather and lousy football has never been one that has appealed to Giants fans. Still, if you're one of those fans who's always wanted to go see a game in person and don't mind the circumstances, you're sure to have a wide variety of seats and price ranges from which to choose.

How Soon Will Any Announcements Be Made?

It's widely expected that the Giants will announce that general manager Dave Gettleman is retiring after the season mercifully comes to an end.

But for those anticipating that announcement to come once the final buzzer sounds and the postgame locker room interviews begin, you might be disappointed as the Giants are likely to wait until Monday at the soonest before announcing anything.