After another offseason of major change, which included the hiring of first-time general manager Joe Schoen and first-time head coach Brian Daboll, expectations were limited for the New York Giants.
Most prognosticators believed the Giants would win between three and five games. Even those on the most optimistic end of the spectrum expected them to top out with a record of 8-9.
The Giants, of course, far exceeded those expectations, posting a 9-7-1 record in the regular season and then picking up a Wild Card victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
But on Saturday night in Philadelphia, the overachieving Giants fell back down to earth and their season ended with a “crash landing.”
“Well, crash landing here,” Daboll told reporters after a 38-7 loss to the Eagles. “It’s a crash landing in the playoffs. Losses hurt. These losses hurt even more.”
The Giants couldn’t get out of their own way on Saturday night and the end result was their ugliest all-around performance of the year. From the coaches to the players and everyone in between, it was a collective failure and letdown. But the fact that it stings so deeply is a testament to how far the Giants have come in such a short amount of time.
Had you told anyone associated with the organization, from ownership to fans, during the offseason that they’d make it to the divisional playoffs, they would have called you a liar.
“I’m proud of the guys and the way we competed. I’m proud of the coaches, the staff members. You really only do this for one reason at this level and it hurts when you lose,” Daboll said. “It’s a crash landing in the playoffs. Anytime you lose it hurts because of the amount of effort and energy you put into it each week. And when you lose this time of year, it hurts even more. You work extremely hard to get to this point. You’re blessed to get to this point. It’s hard to do.
“I feel like crap. That’s as honest as you can be. You work extremely hard to get to this spot. You do not take it for granted. This is a hard place to get to, the division round, and to move forward. I feel more for the players and the coaches because we put everything we had into it. We just didn’t get it done.”
The Giants will hold an open locker room on Sunday with Schoen and Daboll conducting year-end press conference on Monday. Co-owner John Mara is also likely to speak in the coming days and that will officially bring to a close the team’s 2022 season. All eyes will then look ahead to March 15 and the start of the new league year.
