Giants Can Win the NFC East — But They Must Stop Living Dangerously

The New York Giants have lost just once thus far in 2026, which came in a rout at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury early in that contest, and it looked like the Giants' season was over.

Fast forward a month later, and New York has more life than ever.

The Giants followed the Rams loss with back-to-back wins over the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals, and they tied against the Washington Commanders last week.

New York holds a 1.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys for first place in the NFC East, and with Jalen Hurts' timeline in serious question and the Cowboys looking subpar, the Giants actually have a chance of winning this division.

But New York still has a lot to prove.

Yes, the Giants are 3-1-1 and would likely be 4-1 had it not been for Cam Skattebo's overtime fumble last week, but they needed game-ending interceptions to beat the Titans and the Cardinals. They also had to rally from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit just to tie with the Commanders.

The combined records of those three opponents? 2-12-1.

New York will face the 1-4 New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and it will then head on the road to battle the 1-4 Houston Texans next week (although I think just about everyone believes the Texans are much better than their record indicates).

There is a chance that the Giants could be 5-1-1 heading into their Week 8 bye, which would be fantastic. But they need to actually put together at least one convincing win before then to show everyone they are legitimate.

It's very valid to say that New York would have lost these last three games under Brian Daboll. But that doesn't mean the Giants are still actually all that good.

After the bye, New York's schedule will become exceedingly more difficult, and even if some of those games (like the two matchups against the Eagles and the game at Detroit later in the year) don't look quite as menacing as they did in the preseason, they are still far more challenging than what the Giants have seen thus far.

I loved what New York did versus the Cowboys in Week 1. But that was with Dart under center and with Brian Burns on the edge. The Giants don't have Dart and Burns anymore.

Big Blue has yet to cement a signature victory since Dart's injury. The wins over the Titans and Cardinals were exciting, but let's be honest: neither of those two teams were impressive.

Hopefully, the Giants can lay a smackdown on the Saints this week. If they are able to win by multiple touchdowns, it will go a long way to convince people that they aren't just fool's gold.