The Giants Have a Slow-Start Problem. Harbaugh Is Betting He Can Fix It

New York has not fared well in the first month of the regular-season and data shows why this can end a team's postseason hopes before they have a chance to begin.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh talks with media after organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There is an old cliché that says, “It’s not how you start but how you finish.”

Yeah, try telling that to the New York Giants.

Since 2020, the Giants have failed to get off to a fast start to their season, posting a 7-17 record in  their first four games of the season, putting them just ahead of the Jets, who, in holding the worst record over that stretch, have won one fewer game than their MetLife counterparts.

The slow start for the Giants was not only a stain on their record but also something they never recovered from as the season wore on.

Over that same period, the Giants finished with a 32-68-1 record (.322), which put them 30th in the league, ahead of the last-place Jets (.277) and the Carolina Panthers (.317).

That stat is among the many they hope new head coach John Harbaugh can change, and history suggests it can be done. From 2020-2025, Harbaugh’s Ravens teams have posted a .583 winning percentage in their first four games (14-10), which ranks eighth in the league.

And thanks in part to those fast starts, the Ravens ranked fifth in terms of season records, posting a 62-39 (.614) mark, which has included four postseason berths, including a trip to the AFC conference championship game in 2023.

Why a fast start is important

There’s something to be said for teams that get off to a fast start. Using the same six-year period, here’s how many times the top 10 teams that have posted winning records over that span have qualified for postseason berths (data via Radar360):

Team	W-L	Win %	Postseason Berths
Buffalo	73-27	.730	6
Kansas City	72-29	.713	5
Green Bay	63-37-1	.629	5
Philadelphia	63-37-1	.629	5
Baltimore	62-39	.614	4
Seattle	61-40	.604	3
Pittsburgh	60-40-1	.599	5
Tampa Bay	59-42	.584	5
Los Angeles Rams	59-42	.584	5
San Francisco	59-42	.584	4

The Stars Are Aligned for Big Blue

The Giants' first four opponents–Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals–had a combined 25-42-1 record last season, for a .367 strength of schedule.

If the Giants can hit the ground running by winning at least three of those first four games–and on paper there should be little reason to think they won’t be able to do that–New York could conceivably get off to its best start to a regular season since they went 3-1 to start the 2022 season in what was their last postseason berth.

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