What are the best- and worst-case scenarios for the New York Giants in 2026. CBS Sports has put together a list of scenarios for every NFL team. Let’s see what CBS thinks of the Giants.
Best case
The Giants are this year’s Patriots. They see their second-year quarterback, Jaxson Dart, emerge as an MVP candidate and their first-year head coach, John Harbaugh, stabilize the organization en route to a surprise playoff run. New York wins the NFC East for the first time since its Super Bowl-winning season in 2011
and does so with a stable of young talent on both sides of the ball.
Valentine’s View: The Patriots are, of course, the team the Giants would love to emulate. They went from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 and a Super Bowl berth last season.
It is possible for the Giants to have a Patriots-like turnaround, but no one should expect it or consider it likely. What the Patriots did remains an outlier.
Worst case
Dart doesn’t learn from his issues last season and continues to put himself in harm’s way by fighting unnecessarily for extra yardage. That leads to the second-year quarterback continuing his visits to the blue medical tent and lowers the ceiling for what New York can accomplish in Year 2 of his tenure.
Valentine’s View: I am tiring of the “Dart needs to protect himself” narrative. I’m sure the second-year quarterback is less enthused by it than I am, but there isn’t much left to be said there.
I do think Dart’s development is a key story for 2026. If he regresses, then some some or worst-case season, maybe a six-win year, comes into play.
I do believe the hiring of John Harbaugh has raised the floor. Three- or four-win seasons are probably a thing of the past, and should be a rarity in the future.
