John Supowitz | June 6th, 2020
It has been a tough few years for the New York Football Giants. The team entered the 2010’s with a championship but has ended the decade as the team with the worse record over the last three years.
The team has made some massive changes going into this season; they hired their third coach since 2017 in Joe Judge, and Eli Manning will not open the season as the Giants’ starting quarterback for the first time since 2005. To show you how long ago that was, I had a Nokia Razr in my pocket, with my iPod listening to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Eyes will be on this team as they tried to rebuild. Here are five bold predictions for the Giants in 2020.
Make sure to check out all of our other team bold predictions here.
Daniel Jones Will Finish In The Top Three In Passing Touchdowns
There were ups and downs in the first year for Daniel Jones. He had three games of four or more touchdowns and zero interceptions, and three games of three or more interceptions.
The offensive line was a big problem, they ranked 23rd in sacks allowed last season. General Manager Dave Gettleman addressed the line issues in this past draft with two of his first three picks selecting Georgia’s Andrew Thomas as the fourth overall pick and UCONN’s Matt Peart.
The second was injuries. Jones never had his full receiving core on the field during the season. With Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Evan Engram, and Darius Slayton all on the filed together, Jones will have an abundance of passing options and in result see his passing touchdown numbers amongst the top this season.
They Will Break the Streak of Losing Seasons
The Giants are 12-46 since the 2017 season, which is the worst in the league. This team has addressed its weaker points this offseason. They helped fill their needs on the defensive side of the ball with veteran cornerback James Bradberry and middle linebacker Blake Martinez, two positions they struggled with last season.
As previously stated, injuries on offense were the theme of last year. Not only did they not have their full receiving core, but also star running back Saquon Barkley missed some time with a high ankle sprain. If they can stay healthy and develop chemistry, the talent of these players will shine through and their youth will help late in the season. The improvements of this team, along with the new coaching staff, will put the Giants in a position to compete for the first time in a long time.
Saquon will finish as the 2020 total yards leader
It’s hard to argue that Barkley is one of the most dynamic and athletic players in the league. The former Offensive Rookie Of The Year is the center point of the team’s offense and their key to success. Even with sub-par offensive lines, he’s been able to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his two seasons. Previously, defenses only had to plan on how to stop Barkley. With the Giants’ improving the offensive line and their other talents on offense, this will be the year Barkley breaks out. He will be your 2020 rushing champion and lead the league in total yards.
Dexter Lawrence will be in Defensive Player of the Year Talks
New York believes Lawernce is their future pass rusher, so much so that they traded their star defensive end Oliver Vernon, who had 22 sacks in three seasons with New York to Cleveland as part of Odell Beckem Jr. trade. The 2019 17th overall pick finished with 2.5 sacks and 24 solo tackles. With improvements to the defense through the draft and free agency, this will allow Lawerence to shine and you’ll be hearing his name in that best defensive player talks at the end of the season
Evan Engram finishes with 1,000+ receiving yards
The former Ole Miss tight end shined in his 2017 rookie season with 762 receiving yards and finished third in receiving touchdowns amongst tight ends. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to reach those numbers again, mainly due to injury; he has missed 14 games in the past two seasons. I see a bounce back this upcoming season. Although a tight end, he’s very valuable as a pass-catcher, as he frequently lines up in the slot and led the team in catches and touchdowns in the 2017 season. When he’s healthy, he makes an impact. He has the talent of a Travis Kelce or a George Kittle and we will see that impact this season.
Joe Judge will be a Coach of the Year Candidate
Since the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin left the team in 2015, it has been tough to replace him. Initially, Coughlin’s former Offensive Coordinator Ben Macadoo was thought to be his successor, which turned into a massive debacle, resulting in him being fired midway through the 2017 season. Pat Shurmur was then hired, in his two seasons, he went a league-worst 9-23.
The Giants went with a shocking choice in former Patriots Wide Receiver and Special Teams Coach Joe Judge. Although not the popular choice amongst fans, he will show he was the best choice. He has worked under arguably the two best head coaches in football history: six-time college football National Champion Alabama’s Nick Saban, and six-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick. He will bring that wisdom to a relatively young team and instantly make them a playoff contender.
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