It’s tough to debate that the New York Giants are the biggest pleasant surprise in the NFL so far in 2022. After an upset win at Tennessee and expected home wins over weaker teams Carolina and Chicago, the Giants sat at 3-1 when they set out for London, England, last week to play the 3-1 Green Bay Packers.
After falling behind 17-3, it appeared as if the Giants had met their match against a team that has been in the top tier of the league for much of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ tenure. New York scored late in the first half but allowed a Packers’ field goal as time expired to make it 20-10 at halftime.
But for the second time this year against a quality opponent, the defense came out and held the opposing offense to zero points in the second half, and the offense wore down a Packers defense with long, sustained drives that led to two touchdowns and a 27-22 Giants win to improve to 4-1. It’s the G-Men’s best start since a 5-0 start to the 2009 campaign.
After a run of 40 yards and a catch of 41 yards, Saquon Barkley–who is second in the NFL in rushing–provided the winning points with just over six minutes remaining.
NFC East Is the Best Division in Football After Week 5
Unfortunately for the Giants, Philadelphia and Dallas both won on the road to remain ahead of them in the NFC East standings: Philly is the NFL’s only unbeaten team at 5-0, and Dallas is 4-1. Even with Washington bringing up the rear at 1-4, the combined 14-6 record among division teams is the best in the NFL.
Giants’ Playoff Odds Have Improved Greatly
After winning this week, oddsmakers are now believing that the G-Men could make a push towards the playoffs this year. Here’s a look at the current odds against New York’s preseason odds and the odds from after Week 4, courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
| TEAM | CURRENT ODDS TO MAKE NFL PLAYOFFS | ODDS AFTER WEEK 4 | PRESEASON ODDS |
| New York Giants | +105 | +180 | +225 |
You can see that the oddsmakers weren’t sold on New York’s 3-1 start, but after the win against Green Bay–combined with the upcoming schedule–New York’s playoff hopes are a toss-up. ESPN lists the Giants’ playoff chances at 53%, so a bet at +105 represents slight value.
The Giants play at home against 3-2 Baltimore this week, but the Ravens have had a tough schedule and had big leads over both Miami, Buffalo, and Cincinnati before blowing each one and losing to the first two teams mentioned. After that, New York has a three-game stretch at Jacksonville, at Seattle, and home against Houston and Detroit. There are also two games against Washington and down-trodden Indianapolis along with two against the Eagles, one at Dallas, and one at Minnesota.
If they beat the teams they likely will be favored against, the Giants should add between 5-7 more wins to their win total, and 10 wins will likely be enough to find their way into the playoffs.
