It’s been a long, arduous road for the New York Giants this season, but in just a few days, a season once filled with loads of promise that fell off the rails will finally be over. And what better way to end things than with the Giants hosting a visit from the Philadelphia Eagles, who are competing with the Cowboys for the NFC East title? The Eagles would need to beat the Giants, while Dallas would need to lose to Washington for that to happen. And while the odds of both happening are unlikely, you never know what could happen. If you’re the Giants, you show up, be competitive, and play with pride. That has been the main message head coach Brian Daboll has preached to his players these last few weeks, even as the team’s playoff aspirations evaporated.
This is a group of guys that have worked really hard,” coach Brian Daboll said Monday. “We haven’t got the results we want, but the competitive stamina, we certainly talk about competing and finishing and being good teammates. Those are all important characteristics for our program.” The Giants have actually been more competitive these last few weeks. They hung tight with the Saints for a half of football before that game got away from them. They also hung in there with the Eagles on Christmas Day and again with the Rams last Sunday. It’s probably fair to say that the Giants have been their own worst enemy in that they have beaten themselves with ill-timed penalties, mistakes like dropped passes and missed tackles, and head-scratching play calling at the worst possible times.
It’s too late for the Giants to go back and get a mulligan on those gut-punch losses like those against the Bills, the Jets, and the Rams. But there are lessons to be learned for both the coaching staff and the players that return in 2024, and that is if you want to win, you can’t undermine your own efforts.
