There’s not a whole lot to root for in these 2-8 New York Giants, but fans will be looking for any signs of life– and hope — in Pat Shurmur’s team over the last six games of this lost 2019 season.
Fans are shedding themselves of as many tickets as they can for the remaining three home games (Week 13 vs. Green Bay, Week 15 vs. Miami and Week 17 vs. Philadelphia) and there won’t be a ton of viewers watching on television, either, as the Giants close out their sixth losing season over the last seven years.
But there are a few things to watch for. I like No. 6, so I narrowed (or expanded) the things to watch to that number for the heck of it.
Pat Shurmur
Is he coaching for his Giants life? It doesn’t look like they’ll better last year’s record of 5-11, but if he can only win two or three of the last six games and the team is still a disorganized mess, do the Giants look to move on?
The defense
Can they put together a concerted effort and look like an NFL defense for more than a couple of series? Is James Bettcher and his “system” the right coordinator to move forward with?
Daniel Jones
Can he solve his fumbling issue? How well can the Giants use these last six games to help further his development? Shurmur’s job could depend on this, too.
Saquon Barkley
Is he really hurt to the point where he’s not himself anymore? Will the Giants simply change their minds and limit, or bench him, in certain spots? Common sense may force them to.
DeAndre Baker
Will he continue to play like a bust or can he turn his season around and change the narrative? Another question that needs to be asked: What will Bettcher and Shurmur do to help him succeed?
Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram
Have we seen the last of them? Shepard may be forced to retire if he can’t make it back this season. Engram can’t stay on the field, and with his fifth-year option due next spring, the Giants could seek to trade him rather than throw good money after bad.
Wait, there’s more …
What about the offensive line? Are the Giants going to keep wheeling their decrepit tackles out there to get spun around and test Jones’ mobility every play?
What about Oshane Ximines and Julian Love?
These are two highly touted rookies that need to be aired out down the stretch. So far, they’ve been underused.
Will we see Dave Gettleman at the end of the season?
That would actually be refreshing. After a season such as this and plenty of questions to be asked and answered, will he emerge from his self-imposed exile to grace us with his presence?
That would go a long way for the fans in understanding just what this team is up to. Right now they look like a bottom-five team mired in the wilderness with no direction home.
