Three weeks ago, the New York Giants were flying pretty high when they were at 2-0. That seems like such a long time ago given what has happened over the last three games.
Three weeks later and ultimately, three losses later, the Giants are in a bit of a messy situation.
From 2-0 to 2-3, the Giants are now in last place of the NFC East, have lost the swagger they once possessed back in September and ultimately, the fan base is losing their patience with the team.
It could have to do with the $200 million the team spent on the defense in the offseason; an defense that has now allowed over 20-plus points in the last three games. It could have to do with the three straight losing seasons and the four straight seasons that the Giants have been kept out of the postseason.
Despite what had gone on with Odell Beckham Jr. and his antics, he seemed to get back on track with his first touchdown catch in the loss to the Green Bay Packers; and yes, he made up with the kicking net that he slugged three weeks ago that fired right back at him when he lost his cool.
But with Beckham under control, the team seems to be losing control, especially offensive tackle Ereck Flowers and how he’s not only racking up penalty yards, but he’s also shoving reporters, which he did after the loss to the Packers this past Sunday. Sure, he apologized, but what’s to stop him from doing it again and maybe the next time isn’t a shove to only a reporter; maybe it’s a fan and this kind of behavior can’t be tolerated from any player from any kind of professional team, especially one from the New York area given the New York media and how it ill come under great scrutiny.
With that behavior and more importantly, the frequent penalties, it falls back to the head coach in Ben McAdoo. The Giants are now his team and he’s in charge. The chaos that seems to be ensuing early on is happening on his watch and it’s not a good look five weeks into the season.
It’s given the perception to the fan base that McAdoo isn’t ready to be a head coach, much less to be a head coach of a New York team and it’s given the perception that he has no control over his own players; something that came into question last year with the Beckham and Josh Norman situation when Tom Coughlin was still running things.
But despite all of the bad that has gone wrong over the last three weeks, there is good news; there is no reason to push the panic button in East Rutherford. Why?
Because it’s only five weeks into the season. If this were Week 15, then you’d have a legit reason to be concerned. But at just 2-3, the Giants season is far from over.
With a potential win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Giants could easily find themselves back at .500 and then if they go to London and knock off the Los Angeles Rams, they are suddenly back over .500 in the span of two weeks and who knows what the division looks like by late October.
Maybe the Philadelphia Eagles lose a few more games. Maybe the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins also lose a few more games as well and then the Giants get out of last place. A lot can happen over the next three weeks that can go in the Giants favor so long as they can get a grasp on the situation.
Sure, things might seem grim now, but there’s plenty of time to get things fixed in New York. So before you find the nearest bridge to jump off of, take a deep breath and see the bigger picture, which is there is a whole lot of football left to be played in the 2016 season.