The New York Giants revamped their offense and improved what was an already good defense during the 2021 offseason. This team is ready to win games and compete for the NFC crown. There are mixed reactions to Big Blue’s odds of making the postseason. The odds for the New York Giants to make the playoffs this year are leaning towards no, according to sites like Winvio. If this team wants to take the next step and compete for a championship, these three things need to happen.
The Odds of the New York Giants Making the Playoffs Fall on Three Key Factors
Jason Garrett Needs To Improve Playcalling
Fans have been outraged over current offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s play-calling. In 2020, one could see that Garrett’s lack of creativity was evident and the offense barely ran smoothly and sustained drives.
One big component was the lack of deep passes thrown. Garrett rarely let Daniel Jones throw the ball deep, which was odd as Jones is one of the best deep passers in the NFL. However, with Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney added into the mix, Garrett could finally create deep ball opportunities for this offense. This opens the opportunity for other players to be thrown into the mix, as the pressure will be taken off of players like Evan Engram and Darius Slayton.
Kyle Rudolph has also signed earlier this offseason, and gives Garrett his prototypical tight end, as he had in Dallas with Jason Witten. Rudolph is a pure red-zone threat and rarely drops passes. If Garrett can design plays that get Rudolph the ball near the end zone, this offense can finally put points on the board.
If this Giants offense wants to show that they are not just good on paper, but on the field, Garrett’s play-calling needs to improve significantly. It should, especially with Saquon Barkley returning from injury.
The Offensive Line Needs to Become Serviceable
The Giants offensive line issues lingered into 2020, which seems to have been a problem every year for the last couple of seasons. Rookie Andrew Thomas had a rough start to his rookie season, continually giving up pressure.
The unique part of the 2020 offensive line was the continued rotation, starting usually with Matt Peart and other linemen such as Shane Lemieux. Down the last half of the season, the line did start to gel together and become an OK unit. The offense started to turn the corner, especially in their Week 17 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
This offseason, a surprise to many, the Giants did little to their current offensive line. The big move was cutting ties with guard Kevin Zeitler, who is now a part of the Baltimore Ravens. They did sign Zach Fulton, who has appeared in 107 games since 2014. Veteran tackle Nate Solder agreed to a pay cut in order to stay with the team at a reduced cost. Other than that, Dave Gettleman and company did not add any other linemen during free agency or the draft.
Giants brass believes in this offensive line more than the media and fans. They like what they have and believe this group should be allowed time to grow and develop with each other.
“It’s really apparent that we have a little more confidence in our offensive linemen than you guys do. So I’m just going to say we’re happy with the group that we have,” said Gettleman after the 2021 draft.
This unit does not have to become the best offensive line in the league overnight. All they need to do is simply block correctly and give this offense enough time to create plays in both the run game and the passing aspect.
Daniel Jones Needs to Take the Next Step
The biggest question heading into this offseason: does Daniel Jones have what it takes to take this team to the playoffs and beyond? Giants fans have mixed reactions when approached with that question. Nevertheless, it is time for Daniel Jones to finally show what he is capable of and take this team far into the playoffs.
He is well-equipped with weapons, a second year in the Jason Garrett offense, and most importantly the confidence from the coaches, players and front office. Everyone on this team believes Jones is their guy, now is the time he proves them right.
Jones has had an interesting start to his young career. In 27 games, Jones has thrown for 5,970 yards, 35 touchdowns to 22 interceptions, while adding 702 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He has a whopping 29 fumbles in two years, but did cut that number down from 18 in 2019 to 11 in 2020.
Daniel Jones has everything he needs to finally put it all together and have a great season. He is tough, smart, athletic and has the tools to take the New York Giants far into the postseason.
Final Word on the New York Giants Making the Playoffs
The odds are against the Giants making the playoffs despite their impressive offseason. The three key factors stem from the offensive side of the ball. The defense is taken care of and will only improve. It is time for this Giants offense to improve together as a whole and help this team make the playoffs in 2021.
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