The New York Giants are now the betting favorite to win the NFC East, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The 4-2-1 division-leading Giants are -134 to win their first division title since 2011. The Dallas Cowboys are +220, the Washington Commanders +400, and the Philadelphia Eagles +1600.
The struggles of the division’s other three underachieving teams have opened the door for the Giants. Head coach John Harbaugh, though, deserves most of the credit. Harbaugh, the $100 million coach the Giants successfully courted
after the Baltimore Ravens fired him following 18 seasons, made his team believe it could do what it has done so far.
Harbaugh, 63, gave a huge hint of what was to come at his introductory press conference in January. Asked if he considered taking a year off from coaching after the Ravens let him go, Harbaugh scoffed at the idea.
“I figured I didn’t have enough time to take time off,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no time for that, so just couldn’t wait to get back to work. That was never a question.”
There is something else Harbaugh doesn’t have time for. Rebuilding, or accepting that circumstances — like major injuries at crucial positions — will derail hopes of a good season.
“We have an opportunity to go win, and I like these players, man,” Harbaugh said at that introductory press conference. “I know they want to be successful and they want to go to work, so absolutely we can do that, and that’s our plan to do that. The plan is to win every game. I mean, one game at a time. You go into every game planning to win that game. That’s our expectation.”
Harbaugh has driven the Giants to have the best, most productive day possible every day. Harbaugh’s Giants put in as many hours and practice as hard as the rules will allow.
“You do the best you can with it every single day. Well, that means a lot when you really think about what that means,” Harbaugh said. “Are we really doing our best? Are we really putting everything we have into it for this day? Are we really attacking the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind? Another level? Is that possible? Is that something that we can accomplish? Can we have the best meeting and the best practice in the history of the National Football League? Can we? When you do that day by day, you build something, you take it onto the field, and you let the chips fly, and you go play some ball.”
So far, a lot of the chips have fallen in the Giants’ favor.
In 18 seasons in Baltimore, Harbaugh’s teams made the playoffs 12 times, had just three losing seasons, and won a Super Bowl. He did not have to convince anyone he knew what he was doing.
“It started from day one in the spring. Coach (John Harbaugh) came in here and just the details, the messaging, the leadership. His record speaks for itself as a head coach. The guy has won a lot of games,” GM Joe Schoen said during the bye week. “The players were eager to buy in. We have a good, young nucleus of players here that just want to win. Just want to win, whatever it takes. Coach Harbaugh and his staff have done a very good job of laying out the plan. This is what it looks like. This is how you practice. This is how you approach OTA’s. This is how you approach the offseason program. This is how you train in training camp. This is how you prepare in-season, week to week.”
- If Harbaugh were building instead of trying to win as often as possible, he probably wouldn’t have brought so many ex-Ravens with him.
- Giving 33-year-old Odell Beckham a chance, even though it didn’t work out, was about trying to field the best team Harbaugh could right now.
- Trading for J.J. McCarthy after Jaxson Dart’s Week 2 season-ending injury was a clear sign that Harbaugh wasn’t tossing in the towel on the season, despite whatever long-term quarterback drama that move eventually brings with it.
- Going after Jeffery Simmons and Jonathan Taylor on the trade market is about capitalizing on the opportunity the Giants have, not building for a better tomorrow.
Who can challenge the Giants?
None of the Giants’ NFC East challengers have had the seasons they imagined. I asked the lead writers from Blogging the Boys (Cowboys), Bleeding Green Nation (Eagles), and Hogs Haven (Commanders) for thoughts on whether they felt their teams could challenge for the crown, and who would eventually win the division.
At 3-5, Dallas is in second place. The Cowboys already have a loss to the Giants. They have losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals. They haven’t fixed their defensive issues, with young defensive coordinator Christian Parker looking like he might not be ready for the job. Owner Jerry Jones is being asked about head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s future.
Despite that, R.J. Ochoa of Blogging the Boys is still a believer that the Cowboys will pull themselves together and win the division.
“The Dallas Cowboys will in the most basic, bare bones, literal way possible.
“I say this because of the non-Giants teams in the division; the Cowboys might be the least fallible. On paper, the Cowboys have pieces that comprise contending/challenging teams, but they have not been anything close to their on-paper version so far this season.
“They deserve no benefit of the doubt right now. Everyone keeps believing they will put together a little run to make “challenging” a thing, but they are losing to hapless teams like the Buccaneers and Cardinals.
“Congratulations to the Giants on a successful start to the John Harbaugh era.
The Eagles, entering Sunday’s game with the Giants, have lost a stunning six games in a row. They have lost an immense amount of talent, including quarterback Jalen Hurts to injury. They have traded away players like A.J. Brown and Cam Jurgens, and watched right tackle Lane Johnson retire during the season.
Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation is taking the Cowboys to emerge as champs.
“The Eagles will not.
“The Eagles are arguably the worst team in the NFL. It’s hard to see how things are going to get better for them this season.
“The Giants certainly have a good energy going for them as they currently sit atop the division. But quarterback uncertainty remains. The Cowboys could eventually wake up; they have the NFL’s sixth-easiest remaining schedule. I’ll take Dallas to very narrowly edge the Giants.”
The 2-4-1 Commanders lost quarterback Jayden Daniels for two games, and have been beset by clock management issues. It is hard to count them out, though.
As the Giants return from their bye, they have games against the Eagles and Commanders in five days. Harbaugh knows what they mean.
“The two most important games of the season will be coming up after we come back from the bye, which will
set the direction for the rest of the season really,” Harbaugh said after the Week 7 victory over the Houston Texans.
Can the Giants pull this off? Maybe, maybe not. Watching it unfold, though, will certainly be better than already being knee-deep in draft talk.
