Predicting the New York Giants 2024 Record

 

Photo From Michael Eisen of Giants.com

As I type this article, we are officially less than four weeks (27 days) away from the New York Giants taking the field for their first regular season game of the 2024 season.

As a Giants fan, I am skeptical about this team's potential as we approach a new season. The 2023 NFL season was one I would like to delete from my memory. The Giants started the season losing five of their initial six games. They showed some signs of life in the second half of the season, certainly looking more competitive, but ultimately finished with a record of 6-11.

The long list of last year's issues seems to be confronting the Giants again as we enter the 2024 season. The QB situation is an absolute mess; the offensive line is one of the least productive in football, and the secondary has more holes than Swiss cheese. I could go on and on about the Giants' potential issues entering this upcoming season, but that would take me far too long to write, and it would take you far too long to read.

On the bright side, the Giants have a young receiving corps that has shown signs of promise. On top of that, the Giants selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the 6th overall pick of this year's draft, who many experts predict can make an immediate impact as a rookie. Also, although Daniel Jones played terribly in the eight games he started before getting injured last year, he is only two seasons removed from his breakout campaign in 2022. The 27-year-old still has time to turn things around. On the defensive end, they do have some solid pieces like Bobby Okereke, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Dexter Lawrence.

I was looking over the Giants' schedule for this season and became slightly more optimistic about how this year can play out. I think the strength of schedule is not very difficult, and they might win more games than many expect.

Let’s take a look at who the Giants face off against this year and how I think each game plays out.

Week 1 (1-0)

Date: September 8th, 2024

Opponent: Minnesota Vikings

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Giants 13, Vikings 10: Like the Giants, the Vikings have a lot of question marks going into this season, especially in the QB room after losing seasoned veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency this past offseason. J.J. McCarthy might turn out to be a solid starter, but he is certainly a project. I think the Giants can sneak a win at home in a low-scoring contest.

Week 2 (2-0)

Date: September 15th, 2024

Opponent: Washington Commanders

Location: Commanders Field, Landover, MD

Predicted Result: Giants 14, Commanders 13: I think the Giants can get a road win here. This is all dependent on the progress of Commanders rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who they selected with the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. The Giants may run into a vulnerable Jayden Daniels just two weeks into his NFL career.

Week 3 (2-1)

Date: September 22nd, 2024

Opponent: Cleveland Browns

Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH

Predicted Result: Browns 20, Giants 10: The Browns had the opposite record of the Giants last season (11-6) and simply have more talent lined up on both sides of the field. This is where I feel the Giants will be handed their first loss of 2024.

Week 4 (2-2)

Date: September 26th, 2024

Opponent: Dallas Cowboys

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Cowboys 30, Giants 16: The Giants have been dominated by the Cowboys in recent history; they have not gotten a win against Dallas since January of 2021 (and this was a throwaway game as the Cowboys were already in the playoffs). As much as I hate to admit it, the Cowboys are the better team, plus the Giants will be playing on short rest since this is a Thursday night matchup.

Week 5 (3-2)

Date: October 6th, 2024

Opponent: Seattle Seahawks

Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA

Predicted Result: Giants 21, Seahawks 17: Every year, the Giants struggle; it seems like there is always one game on their schedule that they should lose but end up winning. I think this year, that game may be against Seattle. From my perspective, the Seahawks are a run-of-the-mill team that any team can beat if they catch them on an off day.

Week 6 (3-3)

Date: October 13th, 2024

Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Bengals 34, Giants 14: After dealing with a slew of injuries in 2023, I think Joe Burrow and company are poised for a massive bounce-back season. Ultimately, I think Cincy’s high-powered offense will be too much for the Giants to handle.

Week 7 (3-4)

Date: October 20th, 2024

Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Eagles 28, Giants 13: Like the Bengals, I am predicting a bounce-back season for the Eagles, who saw themselves in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago. While many question Jalen Hurts' ability under center, I do not. I have seen enough of a sample size to convince myself Hurts is a legit QB and will be a headache for the Giants this season.

Week 8 (4-4)

Date: October 28th, 2024

Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA

Predicted Result: Giants 16, Steelers 14: I am not sure why my brain operates this way, but almost every season, I think the Steelers are grossly overrated, and they almost always prove me wrong. They have two QBs who both have the potential to be solid starters for this team, and they have a strong defense. That should be enough to convince me to pick the Steelers here. But my gut instinct tells me the Steelers are going to be bad this year, and I will ride with my gut, even though it has let me down numerous times.

Week 9 (5-5)

Date: November 3rd, 2024

Opponent: Washington Commanders

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Commanders 21, Giants 18: As much as I want to take the Giants here, I do not think they are good enough to beat any team in the league twice in one season. Plus, assuming he stays healthy, Jayden Daniels now has eight career starts under his belt, as opposed to one. I could see this being a potential breakout game for Daniels.

Week 10 (6-5)

Date: November 10th, 2024

Opponent: Carolina Panthers

Location: Allianz Arena in Munich, DE

Predicted Result: Giants 24, Panthers 18: The Panthers were the worst team in football last season and will certainly continue to rebuild during their 2024 campaign. Can Bryce Young have a breakout year after an extremely disappointing rookie campaign? Sure, but to be honest, I see a potential breakout being more feasible in the 2025 season, as the roster around Young still has room for a lot of improvement. Give me the Giants in Germany.

Week 11 (6-5)

BYE WEEK: Franchises have been trying to convince the NFL that if a team plays overseas that season, they should have a bye the next week. It looks like the NFL has listened and implemented this rule, at least for this season.

Week 12 (6-6)

Date: November 24th, 2024

Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Buccaneers 23, Giants 21: I believe Baker Mayfield and company have the talent to build off last year's 9-8 season, which saw them win five of their last six games. This is a game the Giants can stay competitive in and may win outright considering they are coming off a bye. However, something tells me the Bucs will pull this off in a close one.

Week 13 (6-7)

Date: November 28th, 2024

Opponent: Dallas Cowboys

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

Predicted Result: Cowboys 38, Giants 17: This scenario spells disaster for the Giants. They are coming off a short rest and have to play the Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving. This one could get ugly fast.

Week 14 (7-7)

Date: December 8th, 2024

Opponent: New Orleans Saints

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Giants 16, Saints 13: I think the Giants can pull out a close one at home. Like the Giants, the Saints have several holes on both sides of the ball. This is really a toss-up game for me, but I will give it to Big Blue since they are playing at home.

Week 15 (7-8)

Date: December 22nd, 2024

Opponent: Atlanta Falcons

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

Predicted Result: Falcons 35, Giants 21: My bold prediction for 2024 is that the Falcons will have the most high-powered offense in the league. If that holds true, the Giants' defense will have no match, and this could turn into a massacre.

Week 16 (8-8)

Date: December 29th, 2024

Opponent: Indianapolis Colts

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Predicted Result: Giants 16, Colts 14: This is one of the hardest games for me to predict. The Colts' success this season will be reliant on the play of second-year QB Anthony Richardson, who was very impressive to start last season before suffering a right shoulder AC joint sprain in Week 5 that kept him out for the remainder of the year. If Richardson makes a full recovery, the Giants will be in trouble, as their defense has issues against mobile QBs. If not, I can see the Giants pulling off a win here.

Week 17 (9-8)

Date: January 5th, 2025

Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Predicted Result: Giants 20, Eagles 10: The last game of the season is always really hard to predict considering most of the playoff picture is already painted. I think the Eagles have a decent shot at winning the NFC East. If that comes to fruition, they will be benching their starters, and the Giants will be facing the Eagles' second unit. If this is a must-win game for the Eagles to make the playoffs, this could be a blowout in their favor. I am making my prediction based on the assumption the Eagles are already in the playoffs by Week 18.

Bottom Line:

I’m predicting the Giants will finish 9-8 and might compete for a wildcard spot. My predictions are based on a mix of optimism and their strength of schedule. I’ve given the Giants the benefit of the doubt in close games, but they could easily lose to teams like the Seahawks, Steelers, Colts, and Saints, ending up with a 5-12 record. In the end, I’ll be happy if they improve on last season and show real progress on both offense and defense.

What do you think the Giants' record will be this season? Drop a comment below.