The New York Giants finished the regular season with a 9-7-1 record and clinched their first playoff berth since 2016. That far exceeded anyone’s expectations for the team under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
Many believed the Giants would win between three and five games and head into the offseason looking to overhaul their roster and replace quarterback Daniel Jones. But here in early December, the organization finds itself on the complete opposite end of that spectrum.
The Giants are preparing to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a very winnable Wild Card game, and Jones is likely staring down the barrel at a long-term contract extension.
Despite the unprecedented turnaround for him and the team, Jones isn’t satisfied. Neither are his teammates.
“I think we’re definitely not satisfied just to have made the playoffs. That’s not how we see it as a group. We were confident in our team dating back to training camp and knew what we were able to accomplish,” Jones told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re by no means satisfied just to be in the playoffs. We expect to play well and to win.”
For many Giants, including Jones, Sunday’s game will be their first playoff exposure. And no matter how confident they are, there are likely to be some pre-game jitters.
“You get excited. You get some nerves going into a game. Yeah, I expect to have some of that for sure. I think we all do,” Jones said. “But once you get there, once you settle in and start playing, it’s what we’ve been doing. It’s about executing and doing our job.”
Ultimately, however, the Giants are confident in their preparation and each other. Once the nerves settle, it’s all business.
“I think (being in the playoffs) means a lot to all of us — a lot of guys who have been here these past few years. And to be on the other side of it, it means a lot,” Jones said. “It’s about what we do now, from this point on, and how we handle this opportunity, how we prepare and ultimately how we play, how we execute on Sunday. We’re certainly happy we are where we are. But there’s a lot more. We got to do a lot more work left for us.
“I was always confident this would happen, and we would have this chance, largely because the guys we have in the locker room, the type of guys they are and how close we are as a group. We had some tough years, but I think we learned a lot. That’s helped us get to where we are now.”
