It’s amazing when you consider how many directions the Giants’ season could go over these final four games.
They currently hold the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft while tied with four other 5-8 teams, and they also trail five teams by only one game for the final NFC playoff spot. So while it’s unlikely that the Giants will make the playoffs, their draft position is still very much in flux.
Here’s my advice if you’re a Giants fan: Don’t get too caught up in making your head spin over any of that. Just enjoy the present and hope for some more exciting football from a team that looked dead in the water five weeks ago in Dallas yet has persevered with three straight wins. The Giants have absolutely not quit on Brian Daboll, and the importance of that cannot be understated for a franchise that fired its last three head coaches after two seasons.
Next up is Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints (6-7), another team fighting for their playoff lives.
“We’ve always had the mindset that we are competitive team and we’ve just got to find ways to win games, and we weren’t doing that in the beginning of the season,” running back Saquon Barkley said Thursday. “We can make every excuse in the book, but we didn’t make any excuses, we just kept our head down and grinded.”
The main catalysts of late have been undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito playing turnover-free football, along with a defense that has forced 12 turnovers during this winning streak.
Another key reason that the Giants have been more productive and creative on offense lately is the reemergence of Wan’Dale Robinson, the second-year wide receiver who celebrated his one-year anniversary of undergoing ACL surgery last Sunday against the Packers by recording a career-high 115 total yards with six catches for 79 yards and two perimeter rushes for 36 yards.
Robinson moved the Giants into range for their game-winning field goal with a 32-yard catch. He also made a 25-yard catch on an underthrown flea flicker to set up a third-quarter touchdown, and he made a ridiculous 13-yard grab along the sideline in the second quarter that was upheld after a Green Bay challenge.
“You can see he’s starting to come back,” Barkley said of Robinson’s return to form. “He’s only going to continue to improve and he’s only going to get better. And even after this season, the offseason, working that, then the next season going to feel way better than that. He’s definitely a playmaker for us and we’ve got to continue to find ways to get him the ball and put him in space to help our team win games.”
The former second-round pick from Kentucky offered a glimpse of his potential as a rookie with a 100-yard receiving day before tearing his ACL last November against the Lions. He didn’t make his debut this season until Week 3, and it’s become clear as Robinson has shaken off the rust that he is the team’s most dynamic receiver and helps open the playbook.
“He’s steadily gotten better, I’d say physically, which improves your confidence,” head coach Brian Daboll said of the shifty 5-foot-8 Robinson. “In the last few weeks, you can really see explosive quickness, he ran some really good routes again, was open quite a bit. Had the big play in the run, played with toughness, I’d say played competitively. For a smaller guy, too, he was mixing it up pretty good.”
Robinson’s ability to elude the leverage of a defensive back with his quickness is especially important for a young quarterback like DeVito, who has improved at evading pressure and making throws on the run when plays break down.
The Giants might have their full array of weapons in New Orleans for the first time since Week 8 as tight end Darren Waller is questionable but has been trending toward a return from his nagging hamstring injury.
And the more talent that the Giants can have on the field, the fewer resources that defenses can deploy toward stopping the ascending Robinson. So it will be fascinating to see how New York’s offense performs down the stretch barring any more injuries.
“He does a good job of reading coverages the proper way, being where he’s supposed to be,” Daboll said. “He’s still, obviously, a young player but I think the way he approaches the game, I’ve really got a lot of respect for Wan’Dale. I’m glad he’s here.”
Giants Gameday
The Game: Giants (5-8) at Saints (6-7), Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La., Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
The Line: New Orleans by 5.5
History: The Giants lead the all-time series, 17-14, and won the most recent meeting in New Orleans on Oct. 3, 2021, in overtime, 27-21. The teams have split the last six games since 2011.
Key Matchups:
Giants RT Tyre Phillips vs. Saints DE Carl Granderson: The Giants remain banged up at right tackle, so it would be smart for the Saints to deploy their top edge rusher on that side frequently. Granderson has 6.5 sacks, 11 tackles-for-loss and 17 quarterback hits.
Giants TE Darren Waller vs. Saints secondary: If Waller is able to return after a five-game absence, his Pro Bowl talent could be huge against a New Orleans defense that has allowed the most touchdowns to tight ends (seven) this season.
Giants LBs vs. Saints RB Alvin Kamara: The Giants have allowed the fifth-fewest receiving yards (345) and only one receiving touchdown to running backs this season. Kamara ranks fourth among running backs in receiving yards (402) but has the most receptions (63).
Giants CB Deonte Banks vs. Saints WR Rashid Shaheed: Shaheed would likely become New Orleans’ top target Sunday if Chris Olave, who is a game-time decision, cannot play. The second-year pro has 534 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. Banks has two interceptions and 11 passes defended during his rookie season.
Injury Report:
Giants: DOUBTFUL: RT Evan Neal (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: DL Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), TE Darren Waller (hamstring), OL Justin Pugh (calf).
Saints: OUT: DE Isaiah Foskey (quadricep), RB Kendre Miller (ankle), DE Payton Turner (toe); QUESTIONABLE: WR Chris Olave (ankle), OT Ryan Ramczyk (NIR-rest/knee), RB Jamaal Williams (groin).
Giant Facts: The Giants are trying to extend their winning streak to four games for the first time since October of 2022. … Saquon Barkley scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime the last time the Giants played in New Orleans. … The Giants’ 12 takeaways in their last three games are the most in the NFL during that stretch.
The Prediction: Saints 24, Giants 20
Source: Berkshire mont
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