The New York Giants organization may not be widely viewed as having huge upside that demands the attention of the rest of the league, but think again if they don’t have a select few members inside that building that matter to the course of the 2025 season.
Over the past several months leading into the campaign, the opinions surrounding the Giants were constantly mixed following the team’s woeful 3-14 season and very active offseason spent retooling the roster to compete for more games this fall.
Some voices were ecstatic for the elite potential that was to come from a fully revamped defensive front that is stockpiled with four fearsome pass rushers, notably the arrival of Abdul Carter on the edge. In contrast, others echoed the same concerns about an unproductive offense, even with a complete change at the helm with Russell Wilson as the new starter.
And there are those like Matt Verderame of SI.com who don’t seem to think the Giants have any critical pieces that can make a huge difference in the direction that this rendition of the franchise takes in their upcoming slate.
The outlet included zero personnel or players from within New York’s ranks in their list of the 60 most influential people for the 2025 season, a decision which seems to reflect the idea that the Giants are without any reason for anyone to pay close watch to how their season unfolds.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson / Peter Casey-Imagn Images
As far as we are concerned, the Giants have more than a couple of figures in their building that make perfect sense to belong on SI’s list this season.
While two members could arguably compete for the biggest spotlight, it’s fair to say that quarterback Russell Wilson takes the forefront by a slim margin.
The 14-year veteran, who helped take the Pittsburgh Steelers to 10 wins and a playoff berth last season, was brought to East Rutherford to be the important starting arm that sets the stage for an improved offense.
The Giants have had high hopes that Wilson’s background and experience would make him the proven catalyst for jump-starting their system, which has been heavily limited by inconsistent quarterback play for the past few years and has been unable to threaten opponents downfield.
Sadly, that’s not what we saw an awful lot of in the Giants’ season-opening loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The Giants’ offense struggled to move the football down the length of the field, going 4/16 on third downs, 0/2 with only three points inside the red zone, and one pass attempt of more than 20+ air yards, per Pro Football Focus.
It certainly didn’t help that Wilson was feeling the heat of the Commanders’ defensive line all afternoon, with pressures coming on 19 of his 45 total dropbacks and four of them being unblocked.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that the offense looked fairly similar to its 2024 self, and that wasn’t a good first impression for Wilson as the guy under center.
Wilson and the Giants’ offense need to strive for an improved product this week against the Dallas Cowboys. Another clunker is bound to start fully turning the focus towards Brian Daboll and his young quarterback prodigy in Jaxson Dart, whose name will draw even louder calls from the fanbase with each early loss that piles up.
Dart, who helped the Giants to a perfect preseason and looked poised and confident in the pocket, might need to come earlier than anticipated to inject life into the offensive system and prove to everyone that it is still a viable one with a capable gunslinger navigating it.
Suppose that time arrives and the same offense issues persist. In that case, the Giants will likely find themselves in another lost season, one that will likely bring significant changes that were put on hold for an extra year by Giants ownership’s decision to retain the regime for this season.
That said, not all the Week 1 woes fell on the offense either. The Giants will need to continue relying on their pass-rushing pieces, all four of whom can make this list, too, to disturb opposing quarterbacks.
Still, the onus from the opening loss continues to lie in the second and third levels that were exposed multiple times by the Commanders’ passing attack.
Giants fans should exercise caution, as it’s just one game in a 17-game schedule, but it’s hard to do so when the first results have remained the same despite all the roster changes.
For now, only the key names like those aforementioned will be able to right the ship in the next 16 weeks and change the narrative on the Giants’ season and their place within the NFL landscape.
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