Seven.
That’s the over/under for the 2021 New York Football Giants and that’s with the new 17 game NFL schedule. I’m not here to tell you to hammer the “over” because it’s a lock. The #10WINSDAFLOOR discussion can happen at another time. This is a quick reminder to enjoy the moment. Specifically to those of us who believe in the direction this franchise is heading in 2021.
Because if the Giants end up with a winning season and are playing in the postseason for the first time since Ben McAdoo was the head coach, the number of believers will explode. At that time, you will see things change for the better.
Right now the majority of national media and NFL fans across the board view the Giants as a bad team in a bad division. They aren’t on anyone’s radar to be a serious contender yet. That means one last chance to surprise teams as the underdog. One last opportunity to go through each week with all the attention pointing at opponents. Nobody expects a ton from this group at the present moment so the “us against the world” locker room mentality works.
That all changes after this season. Let’s take a look at what a 2021 postseason appearance means. First off, it means that heading into 2022 would be year 3 of Joe Judge at the helm with a ton of buzz around the franchise. 2022 would be year 4 of Daniel Jones as QB, and if the GMen are in the 2021 playoffs then that means he will probably have played well. Contract extensions will be in the mix for a bunch of players. They’ll have great draft capital in large part thanks to the Chicago Bears. Ten total picks including two firsts, two-thirds, and two-fourths to add to a roster that already has proven it’s a playoff-caliber team. At that time, teams won’t be surprised by Big Blue, they can’t play the “nobody believes in us” card, and they’ll have to deal with those expectations which is a completely different dynamic for Joe Judge and his coaching staff. From now, it’s one step at a time, one day at a time.
The Good News:
The New York Giants continue to build and bring in talent. They don’t have those expectations on them because we aren’t in 2022 coming off of a 2021 NYG postseason appearance. That’s why I want Big Blue Nation, especially my believers, to ENJOY THIS MOMENT. Because the over/under regular-season win totals of “seven” or less are going to be gone in a blink of an eye.