SI

It’s Been a Long Time Since the Giants Were Eliminated From NFL Playoffs This Early

New York officially became the first NFL team to be eliminated from postseason contention in 2025.

Brigid Kennedy

New York sealed its fate with an overtime loss vs. the Lions in Week 12.
New York sealed its fate with an overtime loss vs. the Lions in Week 12. / Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The postseason is officially out of the picture for the Giants.

New York was eliminated from 2025 playoff contention after a tough loss to Detroit on Sunday afternoon. For a minute there, it looked like the Giants had the Lions right where they wanted, led by a strong performance from backup quarterback Jameis Winston. But Detroit pulled it off in overtime, and with that—combined with a win by the Seahawks—the Giants sealed their playoff fate.

There were three scenarios in which the Giants could be eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, and all three started with a Big Blue loss. In addition, either the Vikings would need to win (they lost), the Cowboys would need to win (that game is ongoing as of this writing), or the Seahawks would need to win (they did). And voila: New York is the first team out for the 2025 season.

According to NFL tiebreaker expert Joe Ferreria, this marks the earliest playoff exit for New York since 1976, when the team moved into then-Giants Stadium. Moreover, it also marks the earliest exit from playoff contention in the NFL since 2020.

As was the case last season, too, the Giants have not had an easy go of it this year. They began with veteran Russell Wilson under center, only to bench him for rookie Jaxson Dart, who quickly injected life into the offense. But it wasn't enough to save emerging running back Cam Skattebo from a season-ending ankle injury, or head coach Brian Daboll from getting the boot. Dart is meanwhile nursing a concussion and will thankfully be back soon enough, but will officially have to wait until 2026 to get a taste of the NFL postseason.

The 2-10 Giants will search for their next win in Week 13, when they play the Patriots on Monday Night Football.

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BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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