2019 Record - 4-12-0
Head Coach - Joe Judge
New Players in 2020 - Blake Martinez (LB), Dion Lewis (RB), Colt McCoy (QB), James Bradberry (DB), Kyler Fackrell (LB), Eric Tomlinson (TE), Cameron Fleming (OL), Nate Ebner (DB), Austin Johnson (DL), Levine Toilolo (TE)
Players opting out for 2020 season (COVID-19) - Nate Solder (OL), Da'Mari Scott (WR), Sam Beal (DB)
OFFENSE - The quarterback is Daniel Jones, who last year took over for Eli Manning (now retired) and he passed for 3,027 yards with 24 touchdowns and twelve interceptions. Jones also rushed for 279 yards (6.2 ypc average) and scored twice. Veteran Colt McCoy is looking to be the backup this season.
Saquon Barkley (1,003 rushing yards, 4.6 ypc and six TD along with 52 receptions for 438 yards and two TD) is the top running back for the Giants and he is flanked by Dion Lewis, who comes over from the Tennessee Titans after running for 209 yards (3.9 ypc) and snaring 25 catches (6.6 yards per catch), including one touchdown last year.
The wide receivers include Sterling Shepard (57 receptions, 576 yards, three TD), Golden Tate (49, 676, six TD) and Darius Slayton (48, 740, eight TD) along with tight end Evan Engram, who had 44 receptions for 467 yards and three touchdowns.
New York scored 21.3 points per game last year and ranked 23rd overall on offense, gaining 339 yards per game. The rushing attack averaged 105 yards while the Giants averaged 234 passing yards per game.
DEFENSE - Leonard Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson (3 1/2 QB sacks) and Dexter Lawrence (2 1/2 sacks) lead the defense up front while the linebackers are Markus Golden (ten sacks) and Kyler Fackrell on the outside with Blake Martinez (three sacks with Green Bay) and Ryan Connelly (two interceptions) man the inside positions.
James Bradberry and Correy Ballentine are the cornerbacks and Xavier McKinney and Jabril Peppers play the safety spots. Bradberry had three interceptions while playing with Carolina in the 2019 season. Providing depth in the defensive backfield are Nate Ebner, Julian Love and rookie Darnay Holmes (UCLA).
OUTLOOK FOR 2020 - The Giants will have a new Head Coach as Joe Judge takes over this season for a team that endured a nine-game losing streak last year while finishing in third place in the NFC East.
Daniel Jones will look to continue his progress as the starting quarterback as he put up some decent numbers while showing moxie in the position as a leader. The running game is solid with Barkley, who missed four games last season (ankle injury) while breaking the 100-yard barrier four times in games. Dion Lewis is aboard this season and has decent pass catching abilities out of the backfield. The receivers can go get the ball and Jones will not be afraid to air it out with the trio the Giants have in tow.
Defensively, New York has to improve from a year ago as they allowed 28.2 points per game (30th in NFL) while ranking near the bottom of the league in both overall and pass defense. They gave up 377 yards per game (25th) while allowing 264 passing yards per game, which was 28th overall. The run defense was slightly better, yielding 113 yards per game, which ranked 20th in the NFL. The Giants had ten interceptions and 36 quarterback sacks last year.
As long as Jones improves and Barkley stays healthy this season, the offense should be decent. Better pass protection would help as Giants quarterbacks were sacked 43 times last year. The big question marks are with the defense, which has to do better against the pass and force more turnovers. The Giants were a miserable minus-17 in the turnover category last season.
It wouldn't be realistic to expect this team to finish any higher than they did last year in the division where both Philadelphia and Dallas are the co-favorites to win the NFC East title this season. However, the Giants should win more than just four games this season as they build toward a better future with a young core and new coaching staff.
TEAM SCHEDULE
Week One - vs. Pittsburgh
Week Two - at Chicago
Week Three - vs. San Francisco
Week Four - at L.A. Rams
Week Five - at Dallas
Week Six - vs. Washington
Week Seven - at Philadelphia
Week Eight - vs. Tampa Bay
Week Nine - at Washington
Week Ten - vs. Philadelphia
Week Eleven - BYE
Week Twelve - at Cincinnati
Week Thirteen - at Seattle
Week Fourteen - vs. Arizona
Week Fifteen - vs. Cleveland
Week Sixteen - at Baltimore
Week Seventeen - vs. Dallas
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