In a way, it has been ‘business as usual’ for the New York Giants this season despite forcing out long-term head coach Tom Coughlin at the end of the 2015 campaign.
Former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has taken over at the helm and Eli Manning is making fewer mistakes than he was at this point last season – and that is why the G-Men are currently sitting pretty alongside the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the NFC East.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Giants are an offensive-minded franchise and their pass-heavy unit may prosper throughout the season. Odell Beckham Jr is an elite talent and he will benefit from Victor Cruz’s return to form and Sterling Shepard’s emergence as a top receiving prospect.
The rookie snagged a touchdown in New York’s opening weekend win against the Dallas Cowboys before racking up well over 100 yards against the New Orleans Saints in their Week Two triumph. Ultimately, these offensive weapons give Manning the option to test his hand – and that is exactly what the Giants quarterback has done.
Beckham Jr is an obvious target but both Cruz and Shepard are helping to keep opposing defences on their toes and that could open up various running lanes for Rashad Jennings out of the backfield. The New York veteran hasn’t done much so far this season but given time, he could emerge as a potent threat once again…
And the Giants new-look defence has also stepped up to the plate. Last season, New York’s secondary ranked as one of the worst in the National Football League but the Giants acted quickly and effectively to address their needs in the 2016 Draft.
The likes of Eli Apple, Darian Thompson and B. J. Goodson have already made a number of big plays on defence to maintain New York’s 100% record and the G-Men will be full of confidence ahead of a tricky run of fixtures.
If the Giants can get to Week 6 with a 3-2 record, they will have done exceptionally well. On current form, there’s absolutely no reason why they cannot reach the Super Bowl – just as they did back in 2012.
However, that Week 5 clash with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field will tell us more about this team’s capabilities. A horror show in Wisconsin could squad all hopes of a return to the showpiece event at NRG Stadium in February…
If you haven’t already got an account, you should join Betway now. They are pricing the Giants at 20/1 to win the Super Bowl crown this season and McAdoo will be quietly confident of reaching the playoffs at the very least.
From there, anything can happen – that’s what makes American Football so brilliant to watch. You can never take anyone for granted and that is what makes the New York Giants so deadly; nobody is expecting too much but they have the potential to go the distance.
With a bit of luck, who knows – the Giants could be set to win a fifth Super Bowl title; a triumph that would see Eli get his third ring; one more than brother and future Hall of Fame candidate Peyton.
The likes of Odell Beckham Jr, Cruz and Sterling Shepard will be crucial to their chances and New York cannot afford any major injuries to their top stars. Right now, they are rolling and Ben McAdoo is looking like a master of the arts in his very first role as a head coach.
It would be foolish to dismiss him and the Giants on current form…
