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New York Giants: 2015 Season Record Prediction

By Nafisa H

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With the release of the 2015 NFL schedule less than a month away, it’s a great time for some season predictions. Will the New York Giants bounce back from a 6-10 record and return to the playoffs after missing them for three straight years? Well, they certainly have many factors working in their favor.

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While the final team roster and order of the games will certainly influence the outcome of the season, based on the 2014 winning percentages of the teams the New York Giants will face, they have the 12th easiest schedule, via John Breech of CBSSport.com.  Their 2015 opponents went 122-133-1 in 2014, giving them a combined winning percentage of .478.

In addition to playing their regular NFC East rivals, the New York Giants will face the NFC South, AFC East, the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings in 2015.

Last season, the NFC South was the worst division with the Carolina Panthers winning the division with a losing record. The Panthers need help on offense and have limited cap space. The Atlanta Falcons need help on defense and were riddled by injuries on their offense throughout last season. The New Orleans Saints struggled on defense and recently dealt away offensive weapons Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are rebuilding. I don’t anticipate this division becoming that much better this season and posing much of a threat to the Giants.

Out of the four games against the NFC South, the toughest challenge for the Giants will be facing the Saints in the Superdome.  The Giants are 4-8 against the Saints on the road. While the Saints do need to improve on offense, I believe Brees will bounce back from a season in which he threw 17 interceptions. With their reinforced defense and explosive receivers on offense, the Giants should be able to hold their own in this shootout but I predict the Saints will edge the Giants slightly.

Next up: the AFC East.

While the New York Jets added Brandon Marshall on offense and brought back Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on defense, they’re still a mess on both sides of the ball (especially at quarterback).  The Giants should win this one.

The remaining games against the AFC East may pose a slight challenge for the Giants.

Although the Giants are 3-0 against the Dolphins on the road, I think this game will be a trap game and a loss. The Miami Dolphins made more personnel moves this offseason but have added some players that give them the potential to win the game. Their biggest move this offseason was the addition of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Additionally, they acquired Kenny Stills and Jordan Cameron on offense. Both could explode against a Giants’ defense that’s thin in its secondary.

The Buffalo Bills have closed the gap between themselves and the New England Patriots this offseason with the additions Matt Cassel, LeSean McCoy, and Charles Clay. However, the Giants spent most of free agency bolstering their run-defense. Therefore, they should be able to contain McCoy. Also, while the Giants’ secondary is weak at the moment, Clay isn’t consistent.

Facing the AFC East also means that the New York Giants will play the reigning Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots this season. Fortunately, this will be a home game for the Giants. Furthermore, as we witnessed in the Super Bowl, defenses win championships. The Patriots’ defense has changed with Revis returning to the Jets, Vince Wilfork signing with the Houston Texans, and Brandon Browner joining the New Orleans Saints. I think the Giants will win this game.

The Giants will also play the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers this year. The Minnesota Vikings have decent players on their roster, mainly Teddy Bridgewater. With the right weapons, Bridgewater and his offense could explode. I don’t see things clicking for the Vikings throughout the entire season but predict they will come out with the win at home. The San Francisco 49ers lost many key starters this offseason. While there’s plenty of time for them to rebuild their roster and bounce back from a bad season, I think the Giants will come out on top against the 49ers this season.

How will the Giants fair against their division rivals?

The Washington Redskins are a complete mess and don’t pose threat to the Giants. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will try to challenge the Giants during the season as they aim to reclaim the NFC East. However, both teams have helped the Giants gain some leverage this offseason in the race for the division title.

The Eagles and Cowboys weakened their run games drastically. The Eagles traded away LeSean McCoy to the Bills and picked up ex-Cowboys DeMarco Murray. However, Murray will not be nearly as successful in Philadelphia without the great offensive line that he had in Dallas. The Cowboys signed Darren McFadden to replace Murray. While McFadden has potential to be a playmaker, particularly with the Cowboys’ offensive line (which pretty much is the same as last year’s), he is injury prone.

Even if the Cowboys and Eagles acquire good ball carriers, the New York Giants have improved their run defense and should be able to restrict their opponents to mainly throwing. At the moment, this does present a challenge for the Giants since their secondary is has a whole at its safety position. However, there is time for the Giants to address that issue.

The biggest advantage that the New York Giants have against their division rivals is their explosive offense. In 2015, the Giants will have Odell Beckham, Jr., along with a healthy Victor Cruz, a running back rotation including Super Bowl Champion Shane Vereen, and an improved offensive line. They will match up well against the subpar defenses in the division. I predict the Giants will go 4-2 against their division rivals (splitting their series with the Cowboys and Eagles but winning both games against the Redskins).

The New York Giants will bounce back from a 6-10 season and have a winning season in 2015. Furthermore, they have the weapons to advance to the playoffs.

Prediction: 11-5

Next: New York Giants Optimistic on Victor Cruz's Return

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