If prognosticators at The Athletic are correct, the New York Giants could be in the thick of a playoff race and perhaps a fight for the NFC East title in the final weeks of the 2026-27 NFL season.
The commonly accepted over/under victory total for the Giants via oddsmakers has been 7.5. Using that number, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur recently took the “over.” He wrote:
I like to avoid crowds the older I get, but there’s no getting away from (blows trumpet) the most popular season-total bet of them all.
Offensive guru Brian Daboll was pretty incompetent as the Giants’ coach and hit the bricks, and in walks Super Bowl winning coach John Harbaugh. He is going to have to tone down Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo — and hope Malik Nabers is back to full strength — but Harbaugh did bring along tight end Isaiah Likely to help.
Harbaugh is also being gifted a nasty pass rush on defense. A big reason why I like this one so much is I also plan to get down on Abdul Carter at 50-1 as Defensive Player of the Year. He had more maturity issues than sacks (four) as a rookie last season, but the 18 QB hits and 66 pressures were impressive.
Then, on Wednesday, Mike Jones of The Athletic took a look at overrated and underrated teams heading into the season. The Giants did not show up on either list. The NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, though, both showed up on Jones’ list of “overrated” teams entering the year.
Of the Cowboys, Jones wrote:
Jerry Jones will tell you the Cowboys always have a shot at contention, and his team does generate plenty of buzz. But the Cowboys will have to jell in a hurry on defense, where new defensive coordinator Christian Parker inherits a unit that struggled mightily last season but added plenty of new faces, including veterans like pass rusher Rashan Gary, cornerback Cobie Durant, linebacker Dee Winters and rookie linebackers Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham. The offense, led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, should again put up points, but the much-needed defensive backing could take some time.
Of the Eagles, Jones wrote:
The Eagles have ranked among the elite teams of the NFC for the last 10 years, making the playoffs nine times and winning the Super Bowl twice. Even with last season’s regression, they won the NFC East for the third time in four seasons.
But now they’re trying to re-tool on the fly, subtracting the disgruntled A.J. Brown and drafting Makai Lemon, rolling with their fourth offensive coordinator in as many years (rookie play caller Sean Mannion), and adding veterans Jonathan Greenard and Riq Woolen on defense while losing standouts Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship. The health of the offensive line is a concern, as is a tough late-season stretch. Although viewed as a bar-setter, the Eagles could hit a few snags this season.
Valentine’s View
Combine these two proposed scenarios, and it becomes probably the most optimistic scenario possible for the Giants in 2026.
Can all of this happen? Maybe.
The Giants have won a combined seven games the past two seasons. With John Harbaugh at head coach, I feel confident they can at least equal that total in 2026. My most optimistic predicted outcome is 9-8. That might not get the Giants to the playoffs, but it would get them into the discussion.
The Cowboys? I am well aware of all the hype. Honestly, though, isn’t it the same hype we have been hearing for three decades? Every year the Cowboys are supposed to be better than the year before. Every year is supposed to be the year they get back to a Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. Every year they disappoint. Wake me up when the Cowboys’ play actually matches the hype.
As for the Eagles, I recognize what they have been for the last decade. They still have a ton of talent. They have, though, lost more than they have gained both on the roster and on the coaching staff. I have felt for a while that the Eagles could be in for some regression this season.
