Five Bold Predictions Ahead of Giants' Week 1 Opener

The 2023 NFL regular season is almost upon us, with the New York Giants, who arguably boasts a much better roster than last year's version that finished 9-7-1 and with its first postseason berth since 2016, set to host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night in a game that will be a good litmus test for general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll's second team.

The Giants, who have already begun preparing for that big NFC East matchup, won't come right out and say it, but big things are expected from the offense and defense as they look to continue their surprising growth and progress started last year.

So, let's look at some bold predictions that are within the Giants' reach and why they are doable.

Saquon Barkley will top over 2,000 all-purpose yards.

We haven't heard much about Saquon Barkley this summer since he settled his contract. But that doesn't mean that Barkley has faded off the landscape.

No, the sixth-year running back, who was kept out of preseason games to help keep him fresh for the pounding that's to come, has been silently stewing over not getting his big payday, and that stewing is likely to make last year's version of a determined Barkley look passive compared to what's to come.

Barkley posted a new career-high 1,312 rushing yards in 16 regular season games (he was held out of last year's regular-season finale), topping the 1,307 rushing yards he recorded as a rookie. But he fell short in the receiving yards, where he recorded 338 yards on 57 receptions, the yardage total being the second-lowest mark of his career, not counting his injury-shortened 2020season.

With opposing defenses likely to hone in on tight end Darren Waller (more on him in a bit), Barkley, who lined up in the slot and out wide this summer, could be in line for a bigger piece of the pie in terms of receiving yardage, which is thought to be something he desires.

Will he top his rookie year total of 721 yards? That remains to be seen, but it wouldn't be outlandish to think Barkley could post 2,000 all-purpose yards for the second time in his career and the first since he posted 2,028 as a rookie.

Darren Waller will have 1,000 receiving yards.

The Giants haven't had a receiver, tight end, or running back record 1,000 yards in the receiving game since Odell Beckham did so in 2018 (1,052 yards on 77 receptions). Then again, the team hasn't had a big-time threat on the field since Beckham, despite thinking that Kenny Golladay might be that guy.

This year, the Giants have that big-bodied threat in tight end Darren Waller. Waller has been virtually unguardable, often drawing a crowd of defenders around him, and yet he has still managed to make the plays when the ball comes his way.

Waller is a favorite target of quarterback Daniel Jones's this fall. If he has truly kicked the injury bug, it would not be a surprise to see the veteran tight end snap that 1,000-yard receiving dry spell currently in place for the Giants.

Adoree Jackson will spend at least 30% of his snaps in the slot.

Since joining the Giants in 2021 as a free agent, Adoree Jackson has played most of his snaps for the Giants as an outside cornerback.

But with the emergence of Tre Hawkins III this summer, that could change as the coaches look to find ways to get Hawkins and first-round pick Deonte Banks and Jackson on the field as much as possible.

The answer is to move Jackson to the slot, where, as a member of the Giants, he's played 83 coverage snaps and has allowed nine of 18 pass targets to be completed against him for 80 yards and one touchdown.

I don't think Jackson will spend all his time in the slot--it's going to all come down to matchups. But if the duo of Hawkins and Banks turn out to be what everyone thinks they could be, it will be rather hard to keep them off the field.

The Giants will split the series with Dallas and Philly.

Yep, I'm going there. I don't necessarily think the Giants have closed the talent gap with the Eagles, who are as deep as they come roster-wise, but I do think the Giants got closer, and they are just about on par with the Cowboys.

I'm not ready to predict a sweep of either series just yet, but I think the Giants, in having added speed and playmakers to both sides of the ball, should be a much more competitive team against a Cowboys team that is 1-11 against the Giants since 2017 and an Eagles team that is 2-11 in that same period (including postseason).

Hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

The Giants will hit double-digit wins this year.

When I made that prediction on a radio spot outside the New York market, the snarky host, stunned by my prediction, asked me if I believed in Santa Claus, too.

I told him I did. I mean, someone had to put all those presents under the Christmas tree every year, right? Whether that was some jolly old-beared man or the folks I lovingly called "Pops" and "Mamie" growing up, you better believe I had a "Santa Claus."

But seriously, there are two reasons why I think a minimum of ten wins is feasible. First is the coaching staff. I look back at last year and how this coaching staff overcame injuries and poor showings by certain position groups and still got the team to a winning record and a playoff berth, two things I highly doubt anyone outside the building saw coming. And that made me even more of a believer.

The other thing I think will help the Giants reach this milestone is their play in the division. I've already mentioned that I think they'll split the series with Dallas and Philly. I think they will sweep Washington, giving them a winning record in the division for the first time since 2020, when they went 4-2.

I think the Giants have a key advantage their fellow NFC East teams do not: continuity on the coaching staff. All three other NFC East teams have new offensive play callers, and the Eagles have a new defensive play caller.

While that could be an advantage given the little wrinkles the teams can throw in there, the Giants, in having the same play callers and same systems, should be able to play that much faster in this second year of the Brian Daboll era.

Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
Follow and like us on Facebook
Submit your questions for our mailbag
Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
Connect with us via text alerts! Free 14 Day Trial!