Things have not just gone wrong for the New York Giants under general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, they have failed spectacularly.
Now, Conference Championship weekend will provide perhaps the franchise’s greatest indignation yet, as a pair of their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, will face off for the NFC crown and a trip to Super Bowl LIX.
The Giants’ fingerprints are somehow all over this game, practically gifting the two teams their most important players.
The Eagles have been rejuvenated since signing Saquon Barkley — the superstar running back was cast off by the Giants despite his repeated wishes to stay with the organization. Instead, Schoen offered that fateful four-year, $160 million deal to quarterback Daniel Jones, opted not to get anywhere near the Eagles’ offer of three years at $37.5 million, and basically told Barkley to kick rocks.
Barkley, obviously, is having the last laugh. On a competent team with a real offensive line, he had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, posting 2,0005 yards in 16 games with 13 touchdowns.
He has kept it rolling in the playoffs, gashing the Green Bay Packers open for 119 yards in the Wild Card Round before dominating the Los Angeles Rams, posting a franchise playoff record 205 rushing yards, which is also the fifth-most rushing yards in a single playoff game in NFL history.
His big day included touchdown runs of 62 and 78 yards as he was cheered on by his former teammate, Jones, who sat up in Barkley’s personal suite at Lincoln Financial Field.
Philadephia faces a Commanders team that has pulled off a remarkable turnaround in just one year. After going 4-13 last season, the hiring of Dan Quinn as head coach and the drafting of LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels proved to be benchmark decisions for the franchise.
Daniels very well could have been a Giant, but late wins like this season ultimately derailed their hopes of drafting a legitimate franchise quarterback. New York started the 2023 season 2-8 before winning three of their last six to sink to No. 6 overall, just a two-loss difference between them and the Commanders, who took Daniels at No. 2.
Daniels passed for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns compared to just nine interceptions and 891 rushing yards in the regular season. He then beat the Buccaneers in Tampa with 268 yards and two touchdowns in the Wild Card Round and then helped author one of the more prominent upsets in recent memory in the Divisional Round, going into Detroit and defeating the 15-2 Lions 45-31. He passed for 299 yards and a pair of scores.
Late victories this year might very well have the Giants wondering, “What if?” should they miss out on the 2025 NFL Draft’s top two quarterback prospects in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward. Heading into Week 17, Big Blue had the No. 1 pick all to themselves before a needless win over the Indianapolis Colts bumped them back to No. 3.
Many project Sanders and Ward to go 1-2 to the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. That would force the same general manager and head coach who chose Jones over Barkley to enter free agency or the trade market to find the franchise’s next quarterback.
