The New York Giants have what it takes to create shockwaves in the playoff race once the 17-game slate concludes this season.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicts the Giants will make the playoffs at the end of the 2026 season after failing to do so the year before.
The Giants? Yes, the same Giants who finished 4-13 in 2025. Do I think they're better than the Packers? No. But acknowledging that history tells us three teams from this bucket at the bottom of the 2025 standings will make it to the playoffs in 2026, the Giants look a lot like the Bears and Jaguars did a year ago -- better than they seemed the year before and in position to make a leap.
Can New York overcome a difficult schedule? The Giants rank eighth in projected strength of schedule, per
the FPI, with a slightly easier slate than the Cowboys and Commanders, whom they might compete with for a playoff spot. Of course, a year ago, the Bears were projected to face the league's fourth-toughest schedule heading into the season, but with improved coaching and a step forward from their second-year quarterback, they jumped from worst to first in the NFC North. I don't think the Giants make that sort of push and win the division, but I do think they're capable of being the league's most surprising wild-card team.
The Giants added considerable talent to their roster in the offseason. The growth of Jaxson Dart and Abdul Carter, Malik Nabers’ return, Isaiah Likely’s presence and anticipated breakout at tight end, and the Tremaine Edmunds-Arvell Reese duo at linebacker give New York the potential to flip the script in 2026 and reach the postseason.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Bill Barnwell makes notable Giants prediction: Playoffs or no playoffs?
