The New York Giants have had four straight losing seasons since 2016. After two straight losses to start their 2021-2022 NFL campaigns, things are not looking as good as Giants fans had hoped.

Although Daniel Jones has proven to be a decent starting-level quarterback for the Giants, he has not shown himself to be a franchise leader who can put them over the edge. Jones recorded just 11 passing touchdowns in the 2020-2021 season while simultaneously throwing 10 interceptions. He has an astounding 40 giveaways since his 2019 season, encapsulating one of his biggest flaws. Oftentimes Jones retreats to the pocket and either fumbles or throws an interception when faced with adversity, which must change for the Giants to have success. An improved offensive line should take some pressure off the young quarterback but that’s only one of the team’s many necessities.

Another bright spot for the Giants is the return of running back Saquon Barkley. Even so, coming off an ACL tear last season, questions remain as to whether he can recreate the magic that made him such an important asset.

As head coach Joe Judge said after Thursday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Washington Football Team, “There’s enough things we can clean up as a team, we can play better.” 

This sums up the first two losses of the season for the G-men. They fell 27-13 to the Denver Broncos in week one in an all-around crushing loss. Barkley, playing his first minutes since 2020, recorded just 26 rushing yards. This low numberis understandable considering the severity of his injury, but the star running back is going to have to return to his pre-injury form if the Giants want to make a playoff push. Jones had a solid performance recording 267 passing yards but the offense looked stagnant when faced with pressure. 

Jones had an impressive performance during Thursday night’s matchup against Washington,  completing 23 of 32 passes, many to receiver Sterling Shepard who has proven to be a bright spot within this Giants team. This added up to him finishing the game with 249 passing yards and one touchdown. He also finished with 95 rushing yards;his versatility is  one reason why Giants fans can be hopeful. Barkley had yet another sub-par performance but a 41-yard run early in the night gave a glimpse of what to expect regularly once he returns to form.

The game ended in heartbreaking fashion as defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence got called for offsides just as Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins narrowly missed a game-winning kick, as they were down 27-29 with just seconds left on the clock. This allowed Washington to get another chance at the kick that won them the contest 30-29.

All in all, the Giants have much to improve on heading into their week three matchup against the Atlanta Falcons but one thing is clear: they must clean up their sloppy mistakes if they want to compete with  the NFC East.