In the first year under head coach John Harbaugh, the New York Giants have been exciting despite a handful of injuries to some of their most important players. New York has won multiple games this season that it would have choked away in previous years, and the Harbaugh effect is fully on display.
Their Week 7 victory against the Houston Texans on Sunday may very well have been the Giants’ most impressive win of the season. They were 10.5-point underdogs on the road and the biggest underdog on the Week 7 slate.
ESPN analyst and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky raved about the Giants’ performance on both sides of the ball on Sunday, then took it a step further by reposting the video from First Take and tweeting “COY candidate” in reference to Harbaugh.
COY candidate https://t.co/BC75b2HWcX
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 26, 2026
When the Giants hired the high-profile Super Bowl-winning head coach, it was expected that he would change the vibes around the team. How quickly Harbaugh has been able to change the culture, however, has been impressive to say the least—especially considering the injuries the Giants have suffered this season.
The Giants are 4-2-1 through the first seven games, and Harbaugh has certainly been a big reason why. The coordinators he hand-picked also deserve a ton of credit thus far.
With 10 games remaining, the Giants have a legitimate shot at winning the division.
At this point in the season, given the adversity they have faced and where they stand ahead of their bye week, Harbaugh certainly deserves consideration for Coach of the Year. If the Giants continue to find ways to win, especially behind J.J. McCarthy, who was brought in roughly a month ago, Harbaugh won’t just get Coach of the Year consideration -- he’ll be the front-runner for the award as well.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Dan Orlovsky: Giants' John Harbaugh is Coach of the Year candidate
