NEW YORK GIANTS 2022 WIN PREDICTION

BY ADAM GREENE

You’d like to think every franchise opens its season with promise, but you can’t say that about the 2021 New York Giants. This looked like a disaster from the start and that did not change week to week for a full 18 of them in the regular season. For the sixth straight year, New York did not make the playoffs.

Of course, no one really thought they would. That was only reinforced by a 1-5 start, with their only victory an overtime shocker over the New Orleans Saints, 27-21 on Oct. 3. They would take another two weeks off from victories before picking up win No. 2, knocking off the hapless Carolina Panthers.

They would win two more on the season, both colossal upsets, but none the team could hope to build on because its head coach, Joe Judge, was absolutely outclassed in every match up. Judge was so widely, and deservedly, disparaged that he decided to defend himself with a ranting interview where he concocted a fantasy world where players all over the league were contacting him week to week begging to play for him. Now, forgetting that this would be contract tampering if true and that Judge and the Giants would be on the hook for millions in fines from the NFL and loss of draft picks, luckily, no one believed Judge’s crackhead rantings. Whether he had to submit to a drug test (because he should have) was info never released to the public.

The season mercifully ended and Judge was fired to no one’s surprise, save him, and his imaginary phone full of supporters that only exist in his own addled brain.

Jones started 11 games for NY, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,428 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 298 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. Saquon Barkley again wasn’t fully healthy and amassed only 593 yards and two touchdowns. He did catch 41 passes for 263 yards and another two scores.

The defense finished No. 21 in yardage and No. 23 in points surrendered. Azeez Ojulari led the squad with eight sacks.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Last season: 4-13

Odds: Under 7 wins (-130), Over 7 wins (+100)

2022 NFL Draft: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon (Round 1), Evan Neal, OT, Alabama (Round 1), Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky (Round 2), Joshua Ezeudu, OG, North Carolina (Round 3), Cordale Flott, CB, LSU (Round 3), Daniel Bellinger, TE, San Diego State (Round 4), Dane Belton, Safety, Iowa (Round 4), Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana (Round 5), DJ Davidson, DT, Arizona State (Round 5), Marcus McKathan, OG, North Carolina (Round 5), Darrian Beavers, LB, Cincinnati (Round 6)

2022 Additions: Mark Glowinski, OG (free agent), Tyrod Taylor, QB (free agent), Jon Feliciano, OG (free agent), Justin Ellis, DT (free agent), Nick Williams, DT (free agent), Matt Breida, RB (free agent), Jihad Ward, DE (free agent), Jamil Douglas, OG (free agent), Ricky Seals-Jones, TE (free agent), Matt Gono, OT (free agent), Jordan Akins, TE (free agent), Richie James, WR (free agent), Korey Cunningham, OT (free agent), Will Holden, OG (free agent), Andrew Adams, Safety (free agent), Maurice Canady, CB (free agent), Jalyn Holmes, DT (free agent), Marcus Kemp, WR (free agent), Gavin Heslop, CB (free agent), Khalil Dorsey, CB (free agent), Ryan Santoso, Kicker (free agent)

Projected Starters

Offense

QB: Daniel Jones

RB: Saquon Barkley

WR: Kenny Golladay

WR: Kadarius Toney

WR: Wan’Dale Robinson

TE: Daniel Bellinger

LT: Andrew Thomas

LG: Shane Lemieux

C: Jon Feliciano

RG: Mark Glowinski

RT: Evan Neal

Defense

LDE: Azeez Ojulari

NT: Dexter Lawrence

RDE: Leonard Williams

WLB: Kayvon Thibodeaux

LILB: Carter Coughlin

RILB: Blake Martinez

SLB: Tae Crowder

CB: Adoree’ Jackson

CB: Aaron Robinson

SS: Julian Love

FS: Xavier McKinney

Special Teams

PK: Graham Gano

P: Jamie Gillan

PR: CJ Board

KR: CJ Board

PREVIEW

We have another near incalculable coaching upgrade as the Giants showed Joe Judge, who was only saved from being the worst head coach in the league by the existence of Urban Meyer, the door. In his place, they plugged in former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

The damage Judge did in his two seasons is a lot to overcome, especially with two teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, significantly ahead in team and roster building. Nothing is going to change overnight, but what we will know by the time the 2022 season wraps is if Daniel Jones has a future in the NFL as a starting quarterback or if he’ll spend the next decade maxing out his Fruit Ninja high score on his Microsoft Surface tablet.

While Daboll is significantly better than Judge, reality remains the Giants’ most deadly opponent. They are not good enough to seriously compete with anyone of talent in the league. Luckily, Judge and former colossal screw up general manager Dave Gettleman didn’t trade away a bunch of picks to form this pitiful group. New GM Jim Schoen and Daboll can at least take the losses from this season and continue to build, and maybe land that quarterback they hoped Jones was when they drafted him.

The good thing is that they nailed last April’s draft, grabbing not one, but two players that could have (and maybe should have) gone No. 1 overall at their two Top 10 picks. It’s a good start.

Taking a dive into the schedule, it’s not particularly tough, but New York isn’t particularly good. That means they have not earned the right to look at any game on the docket, whether it’s the Houston Texans or Carolina Panthers, and just automatically paint it as a dub.

They’re going to lose right out of the gate at the Tennessee Titans, but should be able to even up their record against the Panthers in Week 2. The Cowboys will destroy them, but hosting the Chicago Bears is probably a push in Week 4. They play the Green Bay Packers in London, so the UK fans will get to see them get obliterated. After that, it’s the Baltimore Ravens. It’s going to be a long first half of the season is what I’m saying.

At best, the G-Men come out of that stretch 2-4 before getting a couple of booby prizes. You see, they play three of the presumably “other” worst teams in the league — the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and Texans. But the first two are on the road. I’m thinking 3-6. They host the Detroit Lions after that and, if I’m picking that game today, I’m going with the Cats from Motor City. Then it’s the Cowboys again, a couple of Washington Commanders games sandwiching a Philadelphia Eagles curb stomp.

The last three are all against legitimate playoff contenders — the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Eagles again. I’m going with five wins. They could sneak out six or go as low as three. Either way, this team is no danger of hitting seven.

Final record prediction: 5-12

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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