The difference between 1-0 and 0-1 is huge for the Giants.
A win or loss must be determined after Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium, and my advice is to avoid a no-and-1.
Even if the Giants enter the 2024 season with a losing record, it won't ruin their season.
The Week 1 loss may not have hurt as much, but it could have hurt in two ways: From the outside, there is an air of negativity hanging over their heads, little respect for the team's roster and talent, a lot of disrespect for returning quarterback Daniel Jones and little faith in the team that general manager Joe Sean and head coach Brian Daboll have assembled.
There is a lot of speculation that this team is one of the worst in the NFL, and a disappointing opening game will only make that speculation worse.
With all this pent up hostility toward what the Giants might become, consider how gloomy the opposition would be if the Vikings, with quarterback Sam Darnold (released by the Jets and Panthers) coming to the Meadowlands and beating the local team.
There is always reason to be optimistic, even if that reason comes from within and is based more on hope than evidence.
The Giants have a great rookie wide receiver in Malik Neighbors and a proven rookie edge rusher in Brian Barnes.
Daboll is joining the team as an offensive play-caller for the first time, and he's been one of the best in the league at handling that responsibility.
With Barnes, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeau all ready to go, the passing game could be explosive and cause chaos up front on defense.
The franchise is approaching its 100th anniversary, and the celebrations are coming early and often, including with the wild, retro uniforms (all red, lots of stripes and, you guessed it, khaki pants) the Giants will wear on Opening Day this season.
The script doesn't include a big bold “L” to kick things off.
“We're certainly aware of it and we've talked about it,” Jones said. “I think the big thing is understanding how rich the tradition of this organization is, the history of playing for the New York Giants and what that means and what this franchise means to the NFL. To be able to be a part of all of that is special and we have a lot of respect for that as players.”
Jones will be entering his sixth season with the Giants, and if he starts off poorly, the entire team will be under intense scrutiny.
The Giants made no secret of their desire to acquire a replacement and were hoping to use their high draft pick to acquire a franchise quarterback.
When that dream didn't come to fruition, the team used a first-round pick to give the struggling incumbent starter a valuable weapon and then resurrected a retired jersey (the No. 1 worn by Ray Flaherty in 1935) and bestowed it on Neighbors, an expected achievement for a 21-year-old player.
The Giants know Game 1 is a major testament to how it can make or break an atmosphere.
In Daboll's head coaching debut, the Giants came from behind to win the 2022 season opener at Tennessee, with Daboll making a bold attempt at the two-point conversion to ultimately secure the win.
And there was a much-needed sign of good fortune when the Titans missed a field goal with time running out, giving the Giants their sixth win of their first seven games.
Last season, the Giants were thrashed 40-0 at home by the Cowboys and lost eight of their first 10 games.
“I've been in this job for 24 years and this is my 24th opening day,” Daboll said. “Every year it's different. We've played a Thursday night game, we've played a Sunday game at 1 o'clock. The year before, the year before, whatever it may be, it doesn't really matter. What matters is we do everything we can this week to be ready for a football game. That's the goal for all of us and that's what we're all trying to do.”
