After all the losses you and your giants in New York football have suffered from the infamous Boat Trip that preceded the disaster in the Green Bay playoffs in January 2017, the Eli Manning bench, the Ben McAdoo shooting, the Jerry Reese shooting , shooting Pat Shurmur, retiring from Manning, a record of 12-36 in the last three seasons, the raw gods of football gave up and gave you a totally unexpected gift at the beginning of a New Year:
A chance.
One chance, at least, to get the Cowboys out of their misfortune Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium.
A chance for you to take root with the Eagles a few hours later, Sunday night, to beat Washington, so your Giants win the right to host a playoff game for the first time since January 8, 2012 – when they faced the Falcons on their way to Super Bowl XLVI.
So let the cynics laugh at your team, beat your 5-10 Joe Judge-Daniel Jones Giants game because you were blessed with a Blue-or-die Sunday against the Cowboys at StillLife Stadium simply because works in the least NFC.
Let the sarcastic smiles call Joe Judge-Daniel Jones Giants the worst playoff team in history if you go 6-10.
The rules of the playoffs have not changed: 6-10 becomes 0-0 when the tournament starts.
And in a season when betraying COVID-19’s playlist is loosely hidden in every corner of the NFL universe – see Giants offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo – “a Sunday in January” could never be more relevant. .
Pete Carroll was in his early season with the Seahawks when he defeated the Rams in the 2010 regular season finale, with running back Charlie Whitehurst completing Matt Hasselbeck (hip) to finish 7-9 and win a wild dollar. card.
“We didn’t get here the way we all dreamed of getting here, but we got here,” Carroll said afterward. “When it came down to it, the boys played a great game of football tonight.”
And guess what? The Seahawks shocked the reigning Saints Super Bowl champion, 41-36, at home in a wild-card game.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Carroll said after Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes and Marshawn Lynch broke nine approaches in a 67-yard TD race, “but we expected to win, so we’ll take that. with the step and we will move on to the next. “
Next up was Bears 35, Seahawks 24 at Soldier Field, but hey …
The Panthers of 2014, you ask? They hit their dance ticket with a 34-3 shot of the Falcons on the road to finish 7-8-1 and with a four-game winning streak.
“Nice thing: the record doesn’t matter,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “This is the best part.”
Then, the Panthers defeated Ryan Lindley Cardinals, 27-16, at home in the wild-card game.
“We know who we are – threatening, stifling, and we’ll follow you,” Josh Norman later said. “We know when there is blood in the water and when it is, our sharks will eat it.”
The Sharks were eaten in a 31-17 loss to the Seahawks in the divisional round, but hey …
The difference is that the Giants do not hold destiny in their own hands. A win over the Cowboys would still require Washington and Rivera in their first coaching season for Daniel Snyder, losing to the Eagles at Linc.
The Giants could win the division and drop from a top 10 to 19 selection – if they are ready in the playoffs.
Of course, there would be no Giants fans in MetLife for any wild card game, but this is not an opportunity for them to take root for the larger draft pick.
Ereck Flowers was the ninth choice. Eli Apple was the 10th choice.
Come on now.
Anyway, Trevor Lawrence isn’t waiting for you at the end of the rainbow.
Playoff berths don’t grow on trees. Ask Jets fans. Remember that too.
And besides … do you really want to lose to Jerry Jones Cowboys for the eighth time in a row?
Jerry Jones ate a lot of humble pies from his Super Bowl XXX championship, but who can forget Wellington Mara’s words late in the 1996 season after a 20-6 win over the Cowboys at Giants Stadium?
“It’s always nice to see the humiliation of arrogance,” Mara said.
And besides, do you really want your Giants to lose to the Cowboys on Eli Manning’s 40th birthday? Giants fans: Together, Blue-or-die.