A Giants Fan’s Perspective on the 2023 Season
January 15, 2023 – the New York Giants pull out all the stops, winning against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card game 31-24 to advance them to the division championship. They sadly could not make it past the divisionals, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in a tough blowout of 38-7.
This Wild Card feat not only adds to the Giant’s spectacular season, but it also shows how great the Giants have been this season.
As a Giants fan, it really amazed me how much improvement the team has made from the season prior. But it also shows how worthwhile this season is compared to others.
For example, the Giants ended their last season with a 4-13 record, not even close to the playoffs. They’ve had similar losing seasons in the past, as the Giants have not had a winning record since 2016, which is why it amazes me how much better they are this year.
This winning season may be due to the team’s new head coach, Brian Daboll. Daboll was an offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills for 4 seasons, who worked very closely with Bills quarterback Josh Allen, giving him his signature running and passing combo style.
In the off season, he was hired by the Giants taking over the head coaching spot for Joe Judge, making Daboll the fifth head coach for the Giants since 2016, according to sportingnews.com.
Daboll worked very closely with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones this year, training him to almost be the same player archetype as Josh Allen. But this training proved to be worth it, as the Giants finished the season 9-7-1, and made the divisional round for the first time since 2011.
Jones improved especially on his rushing game this year, as during the regular season, he went from having 298 rushing yards last season, to having 708 of them this year. These major improvements are all thanks to the new coaching staff.
The Giants also have also picked up some great young talent in the last NFL Draft. Notably, Keyvon Thibodeaux, a linebacker/defensive end who has been putting in amazing work for the Giants. Thibodeaux had 4 sacks and 33 solo tackles in this regular season, so he might have a bright future with the Giants franchise.
During the regular season, the team was very back and forth when it came to wins and loses. The longest winning streak they had was a 5 game winning streak in the first few weeks of the season. But even with this shifty winning streak, the Giants still had an amazing season that will hopefully show next year.
I sadly grew up watching many subpar to mediocre Giants teams with an old Eli Manning as quarterback. But this season really showed me and the entire Giants fan base that this team actually has a chance to become successful. Hopefully, with their new head coach, new draft picks, and Daniel Jones’ comeback, they can replicate the success from this year for future seasons to come.