For the 5th season in a row, and the 8th season out of the last 10, the Giants will finish with a losing record. This feeling of being dead in December is all too familiar, but the Giants have a unique opportunity in front of them. The final four games have the Giant’s facing off against our 3 division rivals and the Chicago Bears, whose first round pick is owned by the Giants in the upcoming draft. Getting wins against these teams could allow the Giants to send the fans into the offseason with something to cheer about, and offer a vote of confidence for a Head Coach that inevitably looks to be coming back.
Now I already know that some fans of this team are going to want the exact opposite of what this blog is saying would make them happy. I gather that some fans would want the Giants to lose out, leading to higher draft picks, and perhaps increasing the chance of a Joe Judge firing. Well, despite the fact that I think keeping Joe Judge is a risky move, I am not one of these fans. You’ll never catch me rooting for the Giants to lose, and I don’t believe in tanking, but that’s a discussion for another day. Now, beating these four teams isn’t going to be easy by any means. Dallas is one of the NFC’s best teams, the Eagles realistically should have beat the Giants 3 weeks ago, Washington was the NFL’s hottest team up until they ran into Dallas this past weekend, and the Bears are no pushover’s themselves. In an ideal world, the Giants play well and win out, but that still offers the Giants less than a 30% chance of making the playoffs. Speaking more realistically, if the Giants can put together good performances and pull out at least half of these games, it could send the fans home with something to hang their hat on, especially when it looks like the man leading the Giants is coming back for a third year.
Joe Judge is in a tough spot without a doubt. He was paired with a GM on the hot seat, is coaching through a Pandemic, and has dealt with a ton of injuries, including to his starting quarterback. It is difficult for any coach to be successful under these circumstances. This, coupled with the fact that he hasn’t lost the team in this losing season, is part of the reason that John Mara reportedly wants Joe Judge back. While I don’t think bringing Joe Judge back whilst hiring a new GM is a smart decision, it appears he is coming back, and these next 4 games prove vital to showing fans what Joe Judge is made of. While the fan base seems to be 50/50 on Joe Judge, I don’t think anybody can say they truly hate him. At some point in time, it feels like every fan believed in Judge. Well, he has a chance to show us why we did believe in him at some point or another. Division games are never easy, especially with a backup quarterback. If Judge can have the team playing well, and even winning some of these games, then maybe he can allow the fans to see what John Mara see’s behind the scenes. Judge can even make the more pessimistic fans happy by beating the Bears and getting the Giant’s a better draft pick. You’re move Coach Judge.
Watching the Giants has not been a fun task as of late. They’re a 4-9 football team, that has little to no chance of making the playoffs, and the fan base is once again calling for people’s heads. The next month of the season offers the Giants a chance to show fans that maybe the future isn’t so bleak. They face four opponents that fans (at least some fans) would love to beat. The fans also need to see why ownership has such belief in Joe Judge. The Giants need to finish the season strong, to not only make the fans happy, but to help reaffirm their faith in the man that looks like he’ll be leading the charge for another year.
(Photo: AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
