Big changes went down this offseason for Big Blue. Gone is former NFL Coach of the Year Brian Daboll. In his place is Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh, the most sought-after name during this offseason’s head coaching carousel. Now, the former Ravens shot caller hopes to mold an inexperienced, but talented, Giants squad into contenders. New York comes into 2026 with plenty of hype, but will that translate to on-field success?
Below is my pick and prediction for New York’s 2026-27 regular season, including a win total bet on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Giants win total pick for NFL regular season
Solely based off of last season’s results, this line of 7.5 wins feels a bit too high. After all, the Giants only managed to go 4-13 during the 2025-26 campaign. However, that would be ignoring some much needed context. New York found itself on the losing end of seven different one-possession games. That includes narrow defeats to quality opponents such as Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota. If less than half of those results went differently, a respectable seven-win season would have been in reach. To boot, the G-Men managed to upset playoff squads in the Chargers and Eagles.
This season will likely come down to the progression, and health, of Jaxson Dart. Overall, it was a stellar campaign from the rookie first-rounder. Over 12 starts, he finished with 2,272 passing yards, 487 rushing yards and 24 total touchdowns. However, the dual threat needs to protect his body more as a sophomore signal caller. Failure to do so wouldn’t be a death knell for New York; Jameis Winston is a capable QB2. Still, it’s difficult to envision anything close to a .500 campaign if Dart is out for an extended period of time.
It’s not just Dart that drives this scoring attack. Fellow rookie Cam Skattebo (when active) is a game-changer out of the backfield. Former Pro Bowler Malik Nabers, coming off of a season-ending injury, gives New York a receiving threat it lacked last season. The offensive line should be, at minimum, league average; tackles Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor are among the game’s best pass protectors. Tight end Isaiah Likely, brought over from Baltimore, has the talent to become a Pro Bowler. Still, there’s a lot of question marks in those last few sentences. An injury to one, let alone both, of Nabers or Skattebo could derail this offense. Dart is talented enough to occasionally make something out of nothing, but that’s a tall order week in and week out.
Defensively, the Giants were an absolute mess in 2025. That was especially true up front, where they surrendered an NFL-worst 5.3 yards per carry. As if things couldn’t get any worse, the front office traded All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals. Still, there’s reason for hope. New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s scheme prioritizes aggression. That should, if nothing else, put New York’s stellar defensive line in position to stuff the run. Offseason signing Trumaine Edmunds and fifth overall pick Arvell Reese should help in that regard. Things get tricky if the edge rushers can’t make a big play; the G-Men lack playmakers in the secondary.
New York’s schedule is a mixed bag. That untested back seven will have its hands full in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Cowboys and Rams. After that, it gets a bit easier. Four straight vs. the Titans, Cardinals, Commanders and Saints present what should be winnable games. Unfortunately, the schedule immediately gets harder after that. In the second half, the Giants have five different games against 2025 playoff teams. That doesn’t even factor in talented squads that underperformed, such as Dallas and Detroit.
It’s easy to envision a world in which New York reels off nine or even ten wins, emerging as a wild card contender. It’s equally likely this group falls well short of expectations, due to a mix of injuries and underperformance. Harbaugh will change the culture in East Rutherford, but that doesn’t always mean immediate success. Although this franchise is trending in the right direction, eight wins feels a bit too steep at the moment.
