Why Odds Makers Believe John Harbaugh’s "Bully Ball" Giants Are Poised for a Massive 2026 Turnaround

The New York Giants are getting a bit of a break–not much, but a bit–when it comes to their 2026 schedule of opponents and the odds for a rebound season in terms of win total.

According to Sharp Football Analytics, New York has the ninth-toughest strength of schedule in 2026, a vast improvement from a year ago, when Big Blue had the league's hardest strength of schedule.

But even though the Giants schedule, which will see them face six teams that went to the postseason (including the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks), and seven teams (Eagles, 49ers, Jaguars, Lions, Texans, Rams, and Seahawks) with winning records from last year, is a bit easier, the odds makers are apparently feeling a lot better about New York’s chances of equaling their win total from the last two seasons combined.

Per FanDuel, the Giants' current over/under win total for 2026 is 7.5. That’s a notable increase from a year ago, when the consensus for the Giants' over/under win total was 5.5 games, their lowest projected season total since 1989, the year the database firs began tracking over/under win totals.

New Giants head coach John Harbaugh has made no secret of his desire to get the Giants to the postseason as soon as this year, and to that end, he hired an experienced assistant coaching staff to get the most out of the talent assembled.

The Giants, who are also transitioning to more of a “Bully Ball” mentality, also had one of the best offseasons they’ve had in a while, at least in the opinion of general manager Joe Schoen, an offseason that included the arrival of Harbaugh and continues with prudent free agency moves and another heralded draft class that puts the Giants in a far better position to be competitive in the coming season.

Of course, it needs reminding that championships are not won in the spring, and that it takes a little bit of luck specific to keeping key players healthy, a problem for the Giants in recent years, as well as having the ball bounce your way more often, which was not always the case last year.

The Giants, who are still thought to be looking to add D.J. Reader to their defensive line after trading away an unhappy Dexter Lawrence, still have some unanswered questions on their defensive line, which was a big reason for its run defense struggles last year.

They are also keeping their fingers crossed that star receiver Malik Nabers, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and running back Cam Skattebo, recovering from an ankle injury, both get the green light to do everything by the time training camp starts.

Those are all circumstances beyond their control, but as far as those things the club was able to control, it’s hard to fault them for feeling more confident given the direction the club has taken.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google