Giants keep their focus on next opponent, who is a 3-point favorite
Leonard Williams of the New York Giants celebrates his fumble recovery during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Sports fans old enough to recall September might remember a certain local baseball team that was on a season-long roll and poised to finish the job against a pillowy upcoming schedule.
Then the Mets started playing those games on the field rather than on paper, and it turned out that not every alleged pushover — notably the Cubs — had gotten the memo.
Now here we are in mid-October and the Mets are long gone as another New York team ponders a schedule devoid of teams that currently have winning records, clear to Thanksgiving Day.
The 5-1 Giants visit the Jaguars (2-4) this Sunday, then the Seahawks (3-3) the Sunday after that, then have a week off, then host the Texans (1-3-1) and Lions (1-4).
If you’re scoring at home, that’s a combined 7-14-1 for the four opponents leading into a Nov. 24 showdown with the Cowboys that begins a stretch of four consecutive NFC East contests.
Fans naturally are thinking ahead, as is their right, and wondering what a 9-1 record would feel like. (Spoiler: It would feel pretty, pretty, pretty good.)
But any reporter who gets a Giants employee to discuss any opponent other than Jacksonville this week will be in line for a Pulitzer Prize.
On Monday, coach Brian Daboll met with journalists for a video news conference in which most of the questions were longer than the answers, especially if they delved into big-picture matters.
For example: Does Daboll ever discuss records, standings and such with his team?
“I think the big thing for us is just focusing on what we can control,” the coach said, “which is each day, get ready for the team we’re about to play — Jacksonville in this case — have a good work day, prepare the right way. That’s where our focus will always be.”
A reporter confronted linebacker Oshane Ximines with the upcoming opponents’ records and said, “You mean to tell me you haven’t looked at the schedule . . . and you haven’t imagined being 9-1?”
Said Ximines: “No. We’re just focused on the next game, which is Jacksonville. We just try to stick to that and try not to look too far ahead.”
Even beyond the standard coachspeak carefulness, the Giants are in no position to take anything for granted.
They have needed three comebacks from 10-point deficits to get to this point, which has been entertaining but is not a formula for consistent success.
Statistically, they are mediocre in most categories, their receiving corps is a patchwork and their offense relies heavily on Saquon Barkley and his balky shoulder.
Daboll and his staff somehow have made it work so far. Now they must go from building up their players’ confidence to keeping it in perspective over the next month.
The rest of the football world is cooperating in that task, because doubts clearly remain about whether this surreal start is the real deal.
The Giants are 3-point underdogs against the Jaguars.
Notes & Quotes: The Giants signed WR Marcus Johnson off their practice squad after having elevated him from the squad the past three games – the maximum allowable such moves for a player. Johnson has five catches for 60 yards this season. . . . The team also signed veteran OT Korey Cunningham and TE Lawrence Cager, whom the Jets released on Saturday, to their practice squad and released TE Austin Allen from the squad.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
