Three keys to the Giants' 2022 NFL season
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones warms up before a preseason game against the Bengals at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 21. Credit: Brad Penner
1. DJ, JUST ONE REQUEST
You can’t win in the NFL these days without strong quarterback play… which is one of the big reasons why the Giants haven’t been winning. Daniel Jones has shown he can make big plays, but they always seem to be sandwiched by some really bad ones. If he can become more consistent in his fourth season and clean up his untimely errors he may just be good enough for them to make some noise this season. If not, they’ll find someone else who can.
2. A FINE O-LINE?
After many seasons of disheartening play, the Giants overhauled their offensive line this offseason not to make it spectacular but just to make it functional. It seems to have worked. Jon Feliciano at center is a stabilizing force and Mark Glowinski at right guard has been nothing but solid. There is a hole at left guard until Shane Lemieux returns from a preseason injury, but the two young tackles appear to be the real deal. If Evan Neal can get over the standard rookie bumps quickly he will become a force in the running game at right tackle and there is a chance Andrew Thomas’ name will start to pop up in Pro Bowl conversations if his development at left tackle continues its arc.
3. HURRY UP, PASS RUSH
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will be dialing up exotic blitzes and unexpected pressures all season, but there will be times when Giants edge rushers will simply need to win their matchups and get to the quarterback. Azeez Ojulari has shown he can do that to a certain degree with 8.5 sacks last year (a rookie record for the franchise) and Kayvon Thibodeaux was selected with the fifth overall pick for just that reason. The backbone of past Giants championship teams was always the pass rush. If they can recapture some of that pressure they may also recapture some of the team glory that went with it.
BEAT WRITER'S PREDICTION
Record: 7-10
There is still a lot of work to do with the roster and still serious questions about some key players both in terms of their health and their productivity, but this year will be a step forward for them despite another losing record. There are some winnable games in the middle of the season — Jacksonville, Seattle, Houston, Detroit in Weeks 7 through 11 with a bye in the middle — that could help put the Giants over .500 for the first time since 2016. They’re not yet postseason contenders but you’ll see the embers of future successes (if not all the players who will deliver it) this season.
This is Tom Rock's 15th season covering the Giants for Newsday.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
