NFL Playoffs 2016: 5 reasons New York Giants still make it
By Ian O'Brien
The New York Giants are virtually guaranteed to make the playoffs, but this team will not let their opportunity slip through the cracks.
The New York Giants are looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL right now. This, of course, has caused them to become a trendy Super Bowl sleeper pick.
However, the Giants have not officially booked their ticket to the playoffs yet. Despite holding a 10-4 record with two victories over the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants still have an outside chance of missing the playoffs. The emergence of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers have forced the Giants to stay on their toes.
The Giants achieved their 10th win of the season with a convincing 17-6 victory over the Detroit Lions and their next matchup will be on the road against a reeling Philadelphia Eagles team. The Giants will then close it out on the road against the Washington Redskins.
Although there is still a slim chance the Giants may miss the playoffs, they are not going to let this golden opportunity slip through their fingers. Here are five reasons why the Giants will secure a playoff berth for the first time since their 2011 Super Bowl season.
5. Lions must beat Cowboys and face Packers
The Lions and Packers playing each other for the NFC North title in Week 17 seems to be a foregone conclusion after the Lions’ loss to the Giants. The Lions will have to take on the Cowboys and this gives the Packers breathing room even if they lose to the Minnesota Vikings at home in Week 16.
If everything goes as expected, the Lions and Packers will each have a 9-6 record heading into Week 17. This sets up a rematch between the NFC North front-runners. The loser of this Week 17 matchup will be eliminated from the playoffs unless the Buccaneers and Redskins collapse in their final two games. This leaves the door open for the Giants to make the playoffs even if they somehow lose their last two games.
The Lions must beat the Cowboys for the Giants to miss the playoffs since they would still make it as a Wild Card team with a 10-6 record. The Lions must lose the NFC North title game for the Giants to miss the playoffs though, since the Giants would make it with a 10-6 record over a 9-7 Packers team. This chaotic scenario is virtually impossible to see happen though. The Giants will more than likely reach 11 wins due to their next opponent.
4. The Giants play the Eagles next
The Eagles have quickly gone from being a surprise undefeated team to one of the worst teams in the NFL. Although quarterback Carson Wentz has shown promise at times, he has received virtually no help from his supporting cast. Wentz has also experienced many growing pains throughout his rookie season. His rookie year will not become any easier against a red-hot Giants team. The Eagles currently hold a 5-9 record, which looks nothing like the team that shut down the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After a 3-0 start, the reeling Eagles are on a five-game losing streak. They most recently experienced close, heartbreaking losses to the Redskins and Baltimore Ravens. Although the Redskins and Ravens are good teams, they will not be as difficult to beat as the Giants.
The Giants most recently defeated the Cowboys for the second time before shutting down the Lions. They allowed 13 total points during this two-game span, which is sure to make opposing offenses shudder and have nightmares. If the Giants can stop Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford, stopping Wentz should be no problem. Any quarterback, including Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, should fear this current Giants team.
3. Red hot defense
Giants quarterback Eli Manning stole the show in each of his last two Super Bowl victories against the Patriots. His clutch play included a miracle throw to David Tyree in Super Bowl 42 and a long pass to Mario Manningham in Super Bowl 46. Both of these throws ended in game-winning drives. But these game-winning drives would not have been possible without the help of strong Giants defenses though. They made Brady look human in both of these Super Bowl matchups. This current defense has performed admirably as of late.
The Giants lost many close games last season due to their defensive struggles. Their defensive woes made strong seasons from Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. go to waste. General manager Jerry Reese reached deep into his pocket during free agency, however, to fix the issue.
He was able to reel in cornerback Janoris Jenkins, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and defensive end Olivier Vernon. Vernon and Harrison have helped the Giants hold opponents to 90.1 rushing yards per game. This ranks sixth in the NFL, and they have helped fill the void left by injured defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Safety Landon Collins has also helped improve the pass defense while notching five interceptions to go with three sacks. Most importantly, the Giants have held opponents to just 17.6 points per game, which is third in the league.
2. The Giants already have 10 wins
Winning 10 games is usually enough to make the playoffs in the NFL, and the Giants reached that milestone with their win over the Lions. Fortunately for them, the NFC does not have much playoff competition beyond the Lions, Packers and Buccaneers. It is a longshot for two NFC North teams to make the playoffs, as one of them missing the playoffs immediately opens up a Wild Card berth. The most likely scenario involves the Giants and the NFC South runner-up securing the NFC wild card spots.
This is not to say that insane scenarios have not happened before. This includes the 2010 Giants and Buccaneers, who each missed out on the final Wild Card berth behind the Packers. The most glaring example of all is the 2008 Patriots, who missed the playoffs despite an 11-5 record. The Miami Dolphins’ AFC East title and strong AFC depth forced the Patriots to forgo the postseason.
For this sort of scenario to become reality again, there must be upsets that no one would see coming. It’s extremely hard to imagine the Giants experiencing such hard luck with 10 wins again though. Even with all these scenarios, a sure win against the Eagles should punch the Giants’ ticket to the postseason.
1. They’re hot at the right time
The Giants have won their last two Super Bowls because of this exact reason. Winning a third title is still a pipe dream even for many Giants fans. Beating two strong teams like the Lions and Cowboys indicates that the Giants have quality team chemistry right now, though. Beating the Eagles and Redskins is not out of the question. Even an NFC East title is an outside possibility if the Cowboys lose their last two games.
Manning seems to have found his groove after a few rough patches this season. He put on a quality performance against the Lions with two touchdown passes and a 115.1 passer rating. The Giants quarterback is not known for his regular season success, but he is notorious for finishing strongly before the playoffs.
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Manning already has 25 touchdown passes on the season, making it a strong possibility that he will reach 30 for the third year in a row. It helps that he has a quality receiving weapon in Beckham, who has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for the third consecutive season. A talented Giants offense will not be held back by a struggling defense this time, though. The Giants defensive line stepping up in Pierre-Paul’s absence combined with Collins’ playmaking skills makes this team a deadly force. It remains to be seen how many wins the Giants will finish with, but a Wild Card berth seems to be a certainty with the Cowboys’ 12-2 record.