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Call me crazy, call me an idiot, say I do n't know about football, but I assure you that the NFC East is the division that the New York Giants have everything to win. Yes, the team that won four games last season, three the season before, and that is already on its third starting quarterback in 2026, is the team to beat in the NFC East. And it's not just because all the other teams in that division are a complete disaster. So, largely yes, but even so, these revamped Giants under coach John Harbaugh and with J.J.
McCarthy now at the controls, they are a genuinely intriguing team. And with a 4-2-1 record, if they simply manage a.500 record the rest of the way, the Giants are likely to be division champions for the first time since 2011. A result that not even the most optimistic New Yorker could have imagined when the season and the Harbaugh era were just beginning. And before we begin, don't forget to hit the subscribe button, like the video, and leave a comment. If there's any NFL topic you'd like us to cover on the channel, let us know. Now look, I didn't expect to be praising the Giants eight weeks into the season, a team seemingly in rebuilding mode that started the year with more questions than answers and an urgent need
to change its identity after eight losing seasons in its last nine. But with two months to go before the 2026 season, the Giants have already matched their win total from last season and are at the top of their division. And that's despite the season-ending injury of QB1 Jackson Dart and, more recently, those of Pro Bowl linebackers Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmunds. Frankly, it's been a uniquely chaotic year for the Giants so far, but Harbaugh's culture of accountability and his emphasis on controlling the clock have made New York perhaps greater than the sum of its individual parts, producing an offense that refuses to leave the field and the best defense this team has had in years. Listen to this: Through
week eight, the Giants are averaging their highest number of points per game in a decade, and have scored at least 27 points in four consecutive games for the first time since 2010, including the most recent one against the Houston Texans, who had one of the NFL's best defenses a year ago. They have picked up points with Dart, James Winston and now McCarthy under centre, unexpectedly emerging as one of the league's best turning teams in the red zone. A key factor has been the return of wide receiver Malik Neighbors in his third year, who is fully recovered and is shaping up to be a strong candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, along with the breakout of Isaiah Likely, the tight end who is on track to break his
personal records in both touchdowns and receiving yards. Even so, the backbone of the Giants' offense under Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has been the running game, led by Cam Skattebo. After all, the Giants invested heavily in their offensive line last offseason, both in free agency and the draft, to realize Harbaugh's vision of being a ground-powered team, and they remain committed to achieving it. As things stand, the Giants run the ball more times per game than any other team except eight, and although their efficiency has left something to be desired, their run-based scheme has allowed them to consistently control the clock. Currently, the Giants have the second-
highest average time of possession in the league, second only to the Chicago Bears. And look, for the record, I was against the Giants trading for McCarthy after Dart's injury. But I admit my mistake because, although in a very small sample, it has seemed an ideal replacement for Dart given the similarities in their profiles and their fit in this particular offensive. In fact, two of McCarthy's five best career games in terms of passer rating have been in a Giants uniform, and he has only started once with New York so far. And who knows, perhaps Harbaugh can learn more about how to better harness McCarthy's potential through his brother Jim, who made him a national champion in Michigan. But as solid as the Giants have looked on offense, they've
arguably been even more consistent on the other side of the ball, which is incredible given that this team had one of the worst defenses in the NFL for 3 straight years. However, with the addition of rookie linebacker Ar'vell Reese, significant improvements in the secondary, and new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson using a high- pressure scheme that keeps opposing quarterbacks under constant pressure, the Giants' defense surprisingly finished in the top half of the league in 2026. And before you say, "Hey, that game against the Titans is skewing the numbers," well, the Titans have averaged nearly 29 points per game in their last three meetings.
Seriously, I can't stress enough how aggressive this Giants defense has been. Through Week 8, New York pressured the quarterback more frequently than any NFL team except for the Minnesota Vikings, who are in a league of their own in that regard . And that pressure has helped New York allow only 185 passing yards per game, the third lowest amount in the NFL, while achieving six interceptions, tied for tenth place in the league. Again, however, this incredible shift in defense and resilience in offense share the same underlying current, which comes directly from Harbs: "If you don't execute, you don't play." " Hell, you might not even have a job." Winston, for instance, wasn't doing his job well, so Harbs turned to McCarthy, who
immediately vindicated his head coach, throwing for a franchise-record 243 yards in the fourth quarter against New Orleans and nearly sparking a Giants comeback in Week 6. Meanwhile, after Scat turned the ball over four times in the first five games of the season, he was benched for that game against the Saints, receiving a total of zero carries. And to his credit, he responded well to being benched, exploding for 124 yards on 17 carries with no fumbles the following week . But you don't always get a second chance with Harbs. After struggling with his efficiency in his first five games of the season and then complaining about his usage, veteran running back Najee Harris was released, one of several veteran players
cut after New York's loss to New Orleans. And with accountability as a priority, the Giants They had one of their best games of the season the following Sunday, beating the Texans on the road to head into their bye week on a high note. Now, look, you might still not be convinced. Maybe you still think this Giants team isn't all that great and that their division lead was largely built on an easy schedule. And you might even be right. But which NFC East team is going to stop them? It's not going to be the Commanders, who are 2-4-1 and have won exactly one game with Jayden Daniels at center since Week 6 of last year. On top of that, they currently have one of the six worst defenses in the NFL and never seem to know what down it
is or how much time is left on the clock in critical moments. And I can tell you the Eagles won't be NFC East champions for the third straight season. They're currently 2-6 and will be without their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, for the rest of the season due to blood clots in both lungs. And you better believe it, the Dallas Cowboys won't be either. They'll win their division this year. Despite being the most talented team on paper, the Cowboys, with three wins and five losses, are still a complete embarrassment, and even Jerry Jones looked ready to set AT&T Stadium on fire after his team's overtime loss to the Cardinals in Week 8.
A game in which the Cowboys were up by 10 points with less than four minutes left in regulation. And look, I was man enough to admit I was wrong about McCarthy, so I'll take a victory lap for my preseason prediction about the Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys are not contenders. They won't fool me again, buddy. I've said for years, consistently throughout Dak Prescott's tenure, that the Cowboys would finally make it. Team America would finally get back to the NFC Championship Game and potentially win a Super Bowl in spite of themselves. And I'm not going to do it anymore. Even when this team seems to have all the right ingredients and all the
right pieces in place, they always find a way to disappoint. Now look, maybe you're one of the six people in the world who still believe in the Cowboys or at least believe they're significantly better than the Giants. But even if that were true , the Cowboys would need to be several games better than the Giants the rest of the way to overtake them in the division. And given that, according to ESPN, Dallas's remaining schedule is significantly tougher than the Giants', including an upcoming matchup against the 49ers (6-1) plus two road games at the end of the season against the Seahawks and Rams, I don't see that happening. And neither do the projection models. According to The Athletic's playoff simulator, the Giants
currently have a 59% chance of winning the NFC East. That must feel pretty good for a fanbase that hasn't hosted a playoff game since they last won the Super Bowl in 2011. And while there's certainly still time for this season to go wrong for the Giants , the fact is that the Harbaugh era has gotten off to an incredibly promising start, and barring a collapse in the final stretch? The Giants will regain control of the NFC East much sooner than anyone anticipated. Thanks for watching the video. If you like what you see, hit the subscribe button and turn on notifications. And for more interesting videos like this, be sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.
