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The New York Giants are in uncharted territory heading into the 2026 NFL season.
How? Because people are actually expecting them to be somewhat good.
It's wild to thing that used to be a common occurrence for the Giants, who regularly made the playoffs and competed for Super Bowls between 2000 and 2012.
But since then, New York has been a laughing stock.
The Giants have made the playoffs just twice over the last 14 seasons, and most of the time, they haven't even been close.
That is expected to change going into 2026, however.
John Harbaugh brings a winning pedigree to the Big Apple, and New York added a bunch of new pieces to its roster on both sides of the ball this offseason.
And remember: even though the Giants went just 4-13 last season, they were largely competitive against a strong schedule and easily could have won seven or eight games had the ball bounced a bit differently.
But just because New York has shown signs of improvement and appears to be trending in the right direction does not mean the team has officially arrived.
In fact, the burden of expectations placed upon the Giants both by fans and the media could be their undoing this year.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images.
Many have Big Blue pegged as a playoff contender, with some even going as far to say that New York could rack up double-digit victories.
While I do think the Giants should be able to compete for a postseason berth, I am not ready to say that they will be in the field of 14 come next January.
New York still has too many issues.
Its cornerback room is a major question mark.
We don't know how the defensive tackle position will shape up.
Malik Nabers' health is a concern.
So is that of Andrew Thomas.
And let's face it: for as terrific as Jaxson Dart looked during his rookie campaign, none of us know whether or not he will actually take a step forward in Year 2.
The sophomore slump is a thing, and Dart could very well fall victim to it.
On top of all of that, the Giants' schedule is not easy.
Is it as trying as last year's? No, but it still isn't a very smooth slate, so expecting New York to come away with 10-plus victories is probably a bit ambitious.
We are all placing a whole lot of pressure on the Giants' shoulders as the regular season inches closer and closer, and they might not be ready for it.
This is mostly a young, inexperienced team.
Names like Eli Manning, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck aren't walking through that door.
Yes, the G-Men have some superb talent, but the heavy expectations being leveled against them could ultimately ruin what should be a fun 2026 campaign.
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