The New York Giants are ready to go in 2023, hoping to improve upon their success from last season when they finished 9-7-1 and qualified for the postseason for the first time in six years.
They’ll need to overcome a few things, however, if they are to do so. Here are our five keys to a successful 2023 for Big Blue.
Health
Of course. Injuries can ravage a team and no one knows more about that than the Giants, who were one of the most-injured teams over the past decade. That is one of the reasons they lost 10 or more games five years straight before the new regime arrived in January of 2022.
Sure, they had their share of injuries last season but not like in years past. 2022 was basically a healthy year for the Giants and it showed in the standings.
First-year general manager Joe Schoen was better than his predecessor at backfilling the roster and creating depth, so that helped.
Another plus this year will be the new turf at MetLife Stadium, which should cut down on the non-contact leg injuries that have devastated them in recent years.
They'll have to be road warriors again
The Giants will play nine road games and eight at home, which is a slight disadvantage but if you analyze the schedule, they have quite a number of challenges this season.
It’s not so much who they play as it is when they play them. Plus the game times and travel are going to be a challenge. Here’s a breakdown:
- 9 road games
- 4 of the first 6 on the road
- 3 of the first 4 at night and the 4th in the late window on the road
- No home 1:00 p.m. ET games until Week 7
- 5 of 6 games from Week 9-16 on the road (bye in the middle, though)
- Don’t play Philadelphia until December (2 of the last 3 games)
Right now, everyone in the building is hammering out the logistics on how this is going to work. Hopefully, they’ll get it right.
Stop the run
The Giants were next to last in the NFL in 2022 against the run. That has to change in 2023 if they are to become a dominant defense.
Schoen has done much in the way of fortifying his run defense this offseason, starting with inking nose tackle Dexter Lawrence to a massive contract extension.
He then added veteran defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches — two noted run-stoppers. In the draft, Schoen picked a plum in the seventh round in Oregon’s Jordon Riley.
He also signed a new inside linebacker in Bobby Okereke, who is coming into his own as a pro after four years with the Indianapolis Colts.
Beat Dallas and Philadelphia
The Giants were 1-4-1 in the division last year and still finished 9-7-1 and qualified for the playoffs.
That’s an anomaly, folks. Teams usually need to win their divisional games in order to better their postseason chances. Last year, the Giants lost all four games to the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. They fared better abasing Washington with a 1-0-1 record, which boosted them into the postseason.
But the fact remains that Philly and Dallas own them. Since the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI in February of 2012, they are 5-18 (including playoffs) against the Eagles and 5-17 against the Cowboys. They have, however, been successful against Washington with a 14-7-1 record.
A lot will come from Daniel Jones’ maturation. In his career, he is 5-1-1 versus Washington and 2-3 against Philadelphia. If the Giants are going to make a run in the NFC East, they must start beating Dallas, who Jones has a 1-6 record against.
The offensive line must improve
Many would have this at the top of the list, but we’re listing it lower in the order mainly because the Giants do run fairly well. It’s the pass protection that needs improvement.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas does almost everything well at this point and the Giants are hoping his counterpart on the right side, Evan Neal, will follow suit.
Another hope is that rookie center John Michael Schmitz turns out to be the real deal and takes over as a leader on the line.
The issue is at the guard position. Veteran right guard Mark Glowinski is fine as a run blocker but struggles in pass pro at times. The left guard spot is still in flux with Ben Bredeson and Joshua Ezeudu expected to rotate.
The Giants would ideally like to get five set starters out there on Day 1 and let them gel. They might get there at some point, but they aren’t there right now.
