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»Long-shot Giants have every reason to be optimistic entering the playoffs«
The most likely scenario for Sunday in Minneapolis involves the Giants taking the battle to the Vikings, extending a tight game into the fourth quarter, and then losing on a last-second or last-minute play reminiscent of Christmas Eves past.
Maybe this time a 61-yard field goal won’t be the deciding factor. Perhaps a grab by Justin Jefferson, a cut by Dalvin Cook, or anything else will explain how a non-superpower like the Vikings could go 11-0 in one-score games.
In this scenario, Giants supporters would shower Brian Daboll with additional flowers and bask in the afterglow of an unexpectedly successful season. In 2022, the same franchise that had lost 59 games over the previous five seasons and fired three head coaches was anticipated to provide another batch of substandard goods. Instead, Daboll became the league’s Rookie of the Year by bringing back Saquon Barkley to prominence and transforming Daniel Jones into a poor man’s Josh Allen. (Alright, he’s no Josh Allen.)
Who could have predicted at the end of the summer that the Giants would go 9-7-1 and rest their starters for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, while the defending Super Bowl champion Rams would collapse to 5-12 and be eliminated from playoff contention?
In today’s NFL, everything is possible, as seen by the sixth-seeded NFC team’s valiant postseason run at U.S. Bank Stadium, despite being picked by oddsmakers to be eliminated in the first round.
Giants players, coaches, and supporters should not limit their ambitions artificially. This event is as wide open as it was a year ago. The 2021 Bengals had won 25 of their previous 80 games over the previous five seasons and had a second-year quarterback coming off an ACL injury, yet they were only a few plays away from winning the Super Bowl.
That does not mean the Giants will play in the Super Bowl in the Arizona desert, where their 2007 predecessors ended their own amazing and wonderful journey by denying the Belichick/Brady Patriots a 19-0 record and the title of best team in history. Currently, the Giants are projected to lose in Minneapolis this weekend or, if not, in Philadelphia the next weekend.
But keep in mind that the Giants enter this wild-card round having played pressure-free football. Even if they cannot admit it publicly, they know they do not need to win this game. They are aware that their season has already been deemed a tremendous success.
They should utilize this feeling of freedom against the Vikings, who could become tense if pressed to the limit. Minnesota has a solid but not exceptional team. The Vikings were defeated by two NFC East foes (Dallas and Philadelphia) and came close to losing at home to both of MetLife Stadium’s occupants. No, the Giants are not facing the 1985 Bears in this game.
So that Daboll and his guys may unleash their full potential against a beatable favorite. They can compete without fear of the repercussions of losing because, well, there are no repercussions of defeat other than being banned from playing football. If the Giants play their first competitive postseason game since winning Super Bowl XLVI more than a decade ago, their fans will be in the mood for a ticker-tape parade. The Giants’ 25-point loss to Green Bay during the drought was more embarrassing than the drought itself.
This is the thrill of being the underdog, a role that large-city clubs rarely get to relish. In the aftermath of a tight wild-card loss, Giants fans will assume that was the first logical step in the development of a championship program, despite the fact that this is not always the case.
However, there is no need to spend much time discussing near losses at this time. As an assistant coach for New England and Buffalo, Daboll has a postseason record of 23-7 and won five Super Bowl championships with the Patriots. Along the way, he learned a few things about winning in January and February, leading him to say that postseason experience is “probably overrated” and to indicate that the Giants’ lack of it should not mean disaster.
“The first year I participated in the Super Bowl, the quarterback at New England had no playoff experience,” recalls Daboll.
Tom Brady performed admirably for himself. In reality, the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft began establishing the league’s trademark dynasty only a few months after Belichick, who had lost 13 of his first 18 games in Foxborough, feared being fired.
Indeed, odd things sometimes occur in sports. The Jets of Joe Namath can defeat the Baltimore Colts. Buster Douglas is capable of defeating Mike Tyson. Leicester City is capable of winning the Premier League. Saint Peter’s has the ability to defeat Kentucky and get to the Elite Eight.
And the Giants can get as lucky as they did 15 years ago in Glendale, Arizona, when Eli Manning’s desperate pass adhered to David Tyree’s skull.
These charming long-shot Giants have a chance at anything. This is what makes the playoffs so damn entertaining.
»Long-shot Giants have every reason to be optimistic entering the playoffs«