2023-24 NHL Predictions

It's that time of year again when yours truly puts what's left of his reputation on the line. Two years ago, I had the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals; neither team made the playoffs. Last year, I picked the Rangers and Colorado Avalanche to meet in the Finals; both teams were eliminated in the first round. So, I guess you could say I'm improving. At this rate, in another three years, I'll finally nail it.

All kidding aside, it's all done in fun, so don't take it too seriously. After all, I had the Columbus Blue Jackets as a wild card last season and they were one of the worst teams in the NHL. So with that in mind, let's get on with the predictions.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs finally won a playoff series last season - beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven - and then promptly lost to the Florida Panthers in the next round. As usual, it's never about the level of talent in Toronto, but rather the level of toughness. Hence, the signings of Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves. The fab four will carry the offensive load, but after that, they're a little thin to make a deep run in the postseason.

Florida Panthers: Last season, the Panthers - formerly known as the Puddy Tats - shocked the hockey world by not just knocking off the Presidents' Trophy Boston Bruins, but going all the way to the finals before finally losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the best all-around forwards in the game and Sergei Bobrovsky redeemed his reputation last spring as a money goaltender.

Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, Taylor Hall was dealt to the Blackhawks, and Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov both left via free agency. No team in the league was probably more negatively impacted by the constraints of the flat salary cap than the Bruins. And yet, this will still be a solid defensive team with elite-level goaltending that will win its fair share of games.

Metropolitan Division:

New Jersey Devils: If you saw their meteoric rise last season you're a better man than me. Rarely has a core popped all at once. Their speed down the middle is their greatest asset and they will give defenses fits all season long. I'm still not sold that their goaltending is up to the task of going the distance and they're a little thin on the blue line. But their top six is as good as it gets.

Carolina Hurricanes: Michael Bunting should fit right in with this group of forwards which, though lacking explosiveness, is one of the most cohesive groups in the NHL. No team generates more scoring chances than the Canes. But as we saw in last year's ECF, they lack the finishers to capitalizes on them.

New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette is tasked with turning this talent laden team into a Cup contender. It may take a while for his up-tempo system to be fully implemented, hence the third place prediction. With Shesterkin in net, they will always be a threat. Whether they have the testicular fortitude to go all the way remains to be seen.

Wild Cards: 

Buffalo Sabres: If the Sabres had played as well at home as they did on the road, they would've made the playoffs last season. This is an up and coming team that is young, talented and on the verge of being a genuine contender. They will drive whichever team they meet in the postseason up the wall. Defense is their only concern.

Ottawa Senators: Another young team on the rise. Brady Thuchuk - Matthew's younger brother - and Tim Stützle are genuine stars. Like the Sabres, they're also a year or two away from being a contender, but watch out.

Close but no cigar:

Pittsburgh Penguins: One of the oldest teams in the league needed to get younger and better on D. So what did new GM Kyle Dumas do? He traded for 32 year-old winger Reilly Smith and 33 year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson, quite possibly the worst plus / minus recipient of the Norris trophy ever.

New York Islanders: The shame here is that Ilya Sorokin will be a finalist for the Vezina trophy and he's trapped on a team that will struggle to find offense. Poor Lou Lamoriello; he still thinks it's the '90s.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Since they won their second Cup in a row in '21, they've turned over half their roster. And now they'll be without Andrei Vasilevskiy until mid-December. Not even Toe Blake could save them.

Western Conference:

Central Division:

Colorado Avalanche: Even without Gabriel Landeskog, they are a formidable force to be reckoned with. Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best two-way centers in the league and Cale Makar a perennial Norris trophy candidate. Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton were shrewd pickups by Chris MacFarland. They are well coached and a legit threat to go all the way.

Dallas Stars: I underestimated them last season, as did a lot of people. They're deep and they have one of the best defensemen in the the league in Miro Heiskanen, not to mention one of the best goalies in Jake Oettinger.

Minnesota Wild: G.M. Bill Guerin is doing the best he can with the dead cap hits he was forced to take thanks to his predecessor. They'll be in the mix but a lack of depth will come back to bite them in the end.

Pacific Division: 

Vegas Golden Knights: Boy, do I feel really stupid. Not only did I not have them winning the Cup last season, I didn't even have them making the playoffs. I won't make that mistake again. The secret to Vegas's success is their depth at both forward and defense. They can come with you with four lines and all three of their defense pairings are big and mobile. They are the odds-on favorites to repeat.

Edmonton Oilers: The over / under on Connor McDavid's point total this season is 137.5. Take the over. McDavid is without question the best player in the NHL. Mattias Ekholm - a trade deadline pickup - is a solid, stay at home defenseman, a rarity in Edmonton. The flat salary cap has hindered what G.M. Ken Holland can do to address the lack of depth. Jack Campbell is an adequate, but hardly elite, goalie.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are betting that Pierre-Luc Dubois will provide the offensive balance they've been looking for to make them a legit contender. It's a bet that may pay off. With Dubois at center and Kevin Fiala at wing, LA has a potent one-two punch.

Wild Cards:

Seattle Kraken: Were it not for the upset of the Bruins at the hands of the Panthers, the Kraken's upset of the Avalanche would've been the story of the year. In just two short seasons G.M. Ron Francis has done a tremendous job meticulously building a team that last season was one win away from advancing to the conference finals.

Calgary Flames: Now that old blood and guts Darryl Sutter has been shown the door, this team can finally exhale. The Flames have the talent and the goaltending to be a playoff team. They're not in the same class as Vegas or Edmonton or Colorado, but they are much better than what they showed last season.

Close but no cigar:

Winnipeg Jets: Losing Dubois and Blake Wheeler - a buyout - will hinder a team that made the playoffs last season by the skin of its teeth. It's going to be a tough year in Winnipeg.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers over the Maple Leafs 4-3

Western Conference Finals: Avalanche over the Golden Knights 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Rangers over the Avalanche 4-3

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers

Norris Trophy: Miro Heiskanen, Stars

Vezina Trophy: Ilya Sorokin, Islanders

Jack Adams Award: Peter Laviolette, Rangers

Conn Smythe Trophy: Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Why I'm Bullish on the Rangers

Let's face it. The way last season ended left a bad taste in Rangers fans mouths. After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead against the Devils, the Blueshirts dropped four of the next five games. Three of those losses, including the series clincher, weren't even competitive. Once more, the franchise that has won exactly one Stanley Cup since World War II went home early.

Chris Drury did not take it well. The President and G.M. fired his head coach Gerard Gallant and replaced him with Peter Laviolette, whose resume includes three trips to the finals and one Cup. With the limited cap space he had, Drury then went out and signed three forwards to shore up the bottom six, a defenseman to play on the third pairing and a backup to Igor Shesterkin. No Vladimir Tarasenko, no Patrick Kane, no big splash.

It's easy to understand how some could look at the Rangers offseason and be skeptical about their prospects going into the 2023-24 campaign. As someone who's followed this team since 1971, I've learned the hard way not to get my hopes up. When Jon Matlack asked Jerry Grote what he could expect pitching for the Mets, Grote replied, "If you don't allow a run, I guarantee you at least a tie." Some fan bases are conditioned to be happy with what they can get.

But after giving the matter considerable thought, I think it would be a huge mistake to sleep on this team. To be honest, I'm rather bullish on their chances. And not because I'm an incurable optimist. If anything, I'm more jaded now than I was 30-40 years ago. I just have a hunch that this team, which has broken more hearts than Taylor Swift at a Jets game, might catch lightning in a bottle.

There are three reasons for my optimism:

The core: After getting off to a sluggish 11-10-5 start last season, the Rangers went 36-12-8 the rest of the way. That's a .642 winning percentage. Only the Boston Bruins - at .793 - were better. They accomplished this mostly without the assistance of Tarasenko or Kane, who despite their impressive bonafides, wound up disrupting the chemistry on this team. That no doubt was a contributing factor in their early exit.

With Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have one of the more impressive cores in the NHL. If the kids take the next step and fulfill their promise, this will be a very tough team to play against this season.

Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino, Tyler Pitlick and Erik Gustafsson are the sort of complimentary players Tarasnko and Kane never were. While other G.M.s overpaid for their free agents, Drury didn't panic and got good value. Given what he had to work with, he had himself a helluva good summer.

The coach: Four times over the last 30 years, the Rangers have brought in a more experienced coach to turn around a roster that had underperformed the previous year: Mike Keenan in 1993; John Tortorella in 2009; Alain Vigneault in 2013; and Gallant in 2021. With the exception of Tortorella, every hire paid immediate dividends. The '94 Rangers won their first Stanley Cup since 1940; the '14 Rangers went to the Cup finals; and the '22 Rangers went to the Eastern Conference finals.

While it's no slam dunk that Laviolette will replicate his predecessors success, it's worth noting that in his first full season behind the bench in Carolina, the Hurricanes won the Cup; four years later in his first year as head coach in Philadelphia, he took the Flyers to the finals. Everywhere he goes, his teams win. If that isn't a good omen, I don't know what is.

Laviolette's two greatest challengers will be 1) to convince a team that is used to playing an east-west style of hockey to play a more north-south style; and 2) to get Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko to play like the top six forwards scouts predicted they'd be when they were drafted number one and two respectively. David Quinn and Gallant each failed at both. The hope is that Laviolette will be the proverbial third time charm.

The Eastern Conference: The hockey gods have a strange sense of humor. Last season, the Atlantic division was stacked with the Boston Bruins winning the President's Trophy going away and the Tampa Bay Lightning vying for their fourth consecutive trip to the finals. In the Metro division, both the Devils and Hurricanes had outstanding seasons.

This season, the Metro will still be tough, but in the Atlantic, both the Bruins and Lightning have had roster turnovers that will weaken them considerably. Tampa will be without goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy until mid December. Nobody knows what to make of the Florida Panthers. Are they the team that came within three wins of capturing the Cup? Or are they the team that got swept in the second round in '22. And let's face it, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the Cleveland Browns of Canada. Any team that gets out of the Metro should be the odds-on favorite to advance to the finals.

I'm not saying the Rangers will have an easy path; far from it. But they have had success against the Canes. And if they can find a way to contain the Devils speed, there might be another banner hanging in Madison Square Garden.

Prognosis: Like that 2013-14 team, which went 16-18-2 in their first 36 games, I fully expect the Rangers to struggle out of the gate. They were 1 for 18 on the power play during the preseason. Not a good sign. Going all the way back to game three of the Devils series last season, they're 2 for their last 39. That has got to change. For this team to be a contender, they must have a productive power play.

Assuming they hit their stride by early December, the Rangers should once again finish third in the Metro; the Kids will blossom under Laviolette; and Shesterkin will lead them to their first Stanley Cup in 30 years.

Giants on the Brink

"You're never as good as you think you are when you win; and you're never as bad as you feel when you lose."

- Joe Paterno

Well, one out of two ain't bad. 

After four games this season, the New York Giants record stands at 1-3. In another two weeks, it'll likely be 1-5. While not all stats are indicative of a team's play - like time of possession, for instance - some are undeniable. For instance,

The Giants have been outscored by their opponents 77-9 in the first half. They are dead last in the NFL in offense, averaging 11.5 points per game; dead last in point differential with a minus 76; second to last in sacks allowed with 23 - the eleven they surrendered against the Seattle Seahawks Monday night were the most given up by a Giants team in franchise history. They have held a lead in a game once - the final 19 seconds against the Cardinals in week two. In sixteen quarters of football, they have outscored their opponent in three of them. And, finally, they are the only team in the league not to have a takeaway.

This was not the way the 2023 season was supposed to go. After an impressive and surprising 2022 season in which they made the postseason and actually won a playoff game, the Giants were supposed to be a better team this year. They had what everyone agreed was a successful draft: picking a wide receiver, a center and two cornerbacks to add to their depth chart. They traded for a legit tight end in an attempt to improve their passing game. They signed their quarterback to a four-year extension. And despite a public and, at times, contentious negotiation, their star running back eventually signed his franchise tag. Everything was looking up. I had them winning 10 games and making the playoffs.

But then the season began. A blowout at home against the Cowboys was the first sign of trouble. A dramatic comeback win against the Cardinals in Arizona the following week temporarily allayed any concerns. But the last two games - particularly Monday night's debacle - have removed any doubt. This is a fundamentally flawed team that, barring a miraculous turnaround, will likely finish the season in the bottom third of the league standings.

Consider this: that was not the '85 Bears out there at MetLife Stadium. In their first three games, opposing quarterbacks averaged over 300 yards passing against the Seahawks defense; one of those quarterbacks was Andy Dalton. Daniel Jones managed just 203 yards with two interceptions; one of them a 97 yard pick six.

So what happened? How did this season turn into a train wreck? There's plenty of blame to go around here. Let's start with the obvious.

The Offensive line. Quite frankly this unit has been pathetic. Yes, there have been injuries, but the Seahawks had both starting tackles and a starting guard out Monday night and they were still able to protect Geno Smith. Either the Giants suck at drafting offensive linemen or they suck at coaching them or perhaps both. From Ereck Flowers to Evan Neal, something's not right here and it needs to be addressed.

The Quarterback. I've been a defender of Daniel Jones throughout most of his tenure in New York, but it's time to admit the obvious: he's regressed this season. Without Saquon Barkley, Jones simply isn't the same QB. His fumble at the Giant 7-yard line late in the first quarter and his pick six at the Seattle 3-yard line late in the third accounted for two of the three touchdowns the Seahawks scored. Last season, Jones had a total of five interceptions; this season he already has six. At the rate he's going he will wind up with more than 24. That is unacceptable for a quarterback making $160 million.

Coaching: As I alluded to in my critique of the OL, the coaching staff has to bear some of the brunt of the blame. Last season, the Giants had eight come-from-behind wins. Only the Minnesota Vikings had more. Coach Brian Daboll excelled at making half-time adjustments that were essential to the team making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

This season, the tables have turned. The league has adjusted to the Giants, and so far Daboll and his staff have not adjusted back. Daniel Jones has been unable to run to his left and right as much as he did last season. As a result, he's been reduced primarily to a pocket passer, which is not a strength of his. On the other side of the ball, offenses have figured out Wink Martindale's defensive schemes and are picking up his blitzes, thus exposing a vulnerable and inexperienced Giants secondary. The 49ers were particularly adept at this in week three.

The schedule. Let's face it: the Giants had a much easier schedule last season than they do this season. In their first seven games in 2022, they played against three playoff teams. This season, four of their first six opponents are playoff teams. To underscore just how critical a schedule can be, after jumping out to a 6-1 start last season, the Giants went 3-6-1 over their final ten games against much tougher opponents.

But bitching about the schedule isn't going to change anything. The truth is that if the Giants had put forth the kind of effort last season that they've put forth so far this season, they would've been lucky to win three of those first seven games. The lack of compete on both sides of the ball has been alarming. Daboll may not have any control over the schedule or who gets injured, but he does have control over how well his team executes the plays that are called in from the sidelines. And right now, both the execution and the effort just aren't there.

It's not too late to save the season. Even if the Giants lose their next two games, there are some winnable games still left on this schedule. But for that to happen, both the coaches and the players will have to step up their game considerably.

David Stearns' To-Do List

Well, it's over.

The season from hell that started with such high expectations finally came to a merciless end Sunday in typical fashion: with a failure to get a timely hit and an overtaxed bullpen imploding. A team that won 101 games last year and went to the playoffs, limped to the finish line with a measly 75 wins this year. Disappointing doesn't begin to describe it.

And now with the formal introduction of David Stearns as President of Baseball Operations, the Mets most consequential offseason in over a decade begins. Stearns comes with an impressive resume. In his eight years running the Milwaukee Brewers, they made the postseason five times including this year. He will have his work cut out for him here.

At the risk of being presumptuous, I've whittled Stearns' to-do list down to a precious five.

The Manager: The news that Buck Showalter would not be returning next season should come as no surprise to anyone who was paying attention. While Buck was certainly not to blame for the injuries to Edwin Diaz and Starling Marte, or the less than stellar performance of Max Scherzer, some of his moves this season were puzzling, to say the least.

One game in particular stands out. It was against the Rockies in Colorado in late May when the Mets were still in contention. Buck elected to start Marte in centerfield even though he hadn't played there in two years and he was clearly hobbled by a nagging groin injury. When he was unable to catch up to a line drive in the bottom of the 4th inning, three runs scored. The following inning Buck allowed Stephen Nogosek to get smacked around with no one warming up in the bullpen. The Rockies scored five runs in that inning and went on to win 11-10.

Now that Buck is gone, Stearns and G.M. Billy Eppler will be tasked with finding a replacement who can effectively and more consistently manage this team. The obvious choice is Craig Counsell who has piloted the Brewers since 2015, when he replaced Ron Roenicke. In 2018, he took the Brewers to the NLCS, where they lost to the Dodgers in seven games. He has a record of 707-625, and the fact that he worked for Stearns should give him a leg up on the competition.

Pete Alonso: Stearns made it clear in his press conference that he has no intentions of trading the first baseman during the offseason, saying "I expect Pete to be the opening day first baseman." That is certainly welcomed news for a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer about lately. And by lately, I mean eight years.

But saying you're not going to trade Alonso is one thing; actually signing him to a long-term deal that will keep him in Flushing is quite another. While no one knows exactly where the negotiations left off between Steve Cohen and Alonso's agent, we can assume the sticking point was term. Alonso would obviously like a long-term contract; the Mets would probably prefer a shorter term.

Given that Cohen was willing to give Carlos Correa $315 million over 12 years, it's going to be pretty difficult playing hard ball with a homegrown guy who, as I pointed out in August, might well finish his career with 700 plus home runs. If I had to guess, I'd say both sides settle on 9 years and $300 million. That would put Alonso just behind Francisco Lindor's $34 million annual salary.

The Starting Rotation: The "dynamic duo" of Scherzer and Justin Verlander - at $43 million a piece - was a case study in how not to build a starting rotation. The former never fully recovered from a torn oblique he suffered last season; the latter missed the first month of this season. Eppler was able to get the return he did because Cohen was willing to eat more than $80 million in salary owed both pitchers. It's fair to say the owner would prefer not to do that again.

The Mets have shown interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese ace scouts think could be better than Kodai Senga, who turned out to be one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A starting rotation featuring these two pitchers would be a formidable one-two punch.

But even with Yamamoto and Senga, the Mets still have questions. Like who's going to be the third, fourth and fifth starter? Tylor Megill had a good second half, so perhaps he could compete for the third or fourth spot. Beyond that it's anyone's guess what Stearns will do.

The Bullpen: It cannot be overstated what losing Diaz for the season did to a bullpen that was already thin to begin with. Getting him back next season will be a huge relief, no pun intended.

But like the starting rotation, the pen has plenty of holes that Stearns will have to fill. Does he bring back David Robertson as a setup man? Does he trade for Diaz's younger brother Alexis, who had 37 saves for the Cincinnati Reds this season and is arbitration eligible, to give the Mets a dual closer threat?

The Kids: One of the few bright spots this season has been the emergence of catcher Francisco Alvarez as a genuine talent behind the plate and the development of infielders Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio. Alvarez looks like the real deal. The rookie hit 25 homers and drove in 63 runs. But while the infielders showed promise, they are still works in progress. Stearns may elect to keep all three or he could dangle one or more as trade bait if he believes he can get a proven outfielder, infielder or pitcher in return.

The good news is the Mets finally have their front office in place. Now it's up to them to build a championship team.

A Tale of Two Halves

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

- Charles Dickens
 

Wow, who knew Dickens was a Giants fan?

As they limped off the field at halftime in Glendale, Arizona, the Jints were trailing the Cardinals 20-0. The only reason it wasn't 27-0 was because Cardinals quarterback Joshua Hobbs missed a wide open Zach Ertz near the end zone.

Over their first six quarters, the Giants had been blanked. The last two teams to pull off that "feat" were the 1992 Patriots and the 1978 Colts. Big Blue had five possessions in the first half: three punts, an interception and a sack to end the half. There was little reason to believe things would be any different in the second half. 

And then, as if inspired by divine intervention, the Giants had a second half for the ages, outscoring the Cardinals 31-8. They converted on all five of their possessions, including the game-winning field goal with 19 seconds left. Daniel Jones completed 17 of 21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 44 yards and the team's first touchdown of the year. And just like that, a season of light has pre-empted - for now - a season of darkness. Dickens couldn't have scripted it any better.

The Giants 20 point comeback was their largest in the Super Bowl era. The previous largest comeback in the Super Bowl era was 19 points in Week 9 of the 1970 season against the Washington Redskins. As any sports fan who was around at the time knows, the '70s were not particularly kind to both New York area football teams, especially the Giants.

Let's not mince words here. The Giants pulled a rabbit out of the hat - figuratively speaking - with that second half performance. They were being dominated on both sides of the ball by a Cardinals team that even with Kyler Murray at the helm in 2022 managed to win just four games. Going into this season, Arizona was the odds-on favorite to land the number one pick in the '24 draft. A Giants loss would've ostensibly ended their season. 

Even with the win, Big Blue is still not out of the woods. That's because their next four games will be against playoff teams, three of which are considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders. If the Giants have any hope of winning any of them, they must avoid the kind of putrid play they displayed over the first six quarters of their season.

Whatever pearls of wisdom head coach Brian Daboll bestowed on his troops at halftime Sunday - and I would loved to have been a fly on the wall in that locker room - he'd be well advised to repeat before they take the field at Levi's Stadium Thursday night. Because I can assure you if the Giants fall behind 20-0 against the 49ers in the first half, there will be no miraculous comeback in the second half. Pound for pound, San Francisco might be the most complete team in the NFL. If the Giants don't bring their "A" game, things will get ugly fast, and they will stay that way. You can bet the ranch on that, and your kids tuition, as well.

Unfortunately, that "A" game will be missing an important cog. Saquon Barkley injured his right ankle on the last Giants possession of the game and had to be helped off the field. An MRI revealed a normal ankle sprain, meaning the all-pro running back will likely miss the next two to three games. Without Barkley in the backfield, Jones will have to carry the offensive load. To some extent, this might be the best thing that could've happened to the Giants. Sooner or later, they are going to have to find out whether their $160 million quarterback is the next Eli Manning or the next Kenny Pickett. Now is as good a time as any.

Yes, Sunday's comeback win was indeed something to behold. Giants fans who were despondent after the first 30 minutes, were jubilant after the game. How long that jubilance lasts, however, remains to be seen.

Ain't That Pretty At All

You know, I just had a short vacation, Roy
Spent it getting a root canal
"Oh, how'd you like it?"
Well, it ain't that pretty at all

- Warren Zevon

With all due respect to the late Mr. Zevon, last night's "contest" at MetLife Stadium between the Giants and the Cowboys may not have been as painful as getting a root canal, but it definitely wasn't pretty at all. In fact, it was the ugliest game I've seen this franchise play in my lifetime, which includes the infamous "double reverse handoff" to Larry Csonka that wound up in the hands of Herman Edwards of the Eagles.

It started so promisingly. The Giants took the opening kickoff and drove down the field. Daniel Jones was doing what he'd done all last season: using his legs to evade pass rushers and navigating his team towards the end zone. It was 3rd and 2 at the Dallas eight yard line. It looked to all the world like Big Blue was going in for the touchdown.

That was when everything - and I do mean everything - fell apart. A false start by Andrew Thomas - their best offensive lineman last season - backed the Giants up to the Dallas 13 yard line. Now it was 3rd and 7. Still no problem; they should be able to convert, right?

Wrong. Jones was unable to corral a bad snap by rookie center John Michael Schmitz, who was so impressive during the preseason - and instead of 3rd and 7, it was 4th and 21 at the Dallas 27.

Goodbye touchdown. Oh well, at least they'd get a field goal out of it. Enter Graham Gano to attempt what for him should've been a chip shot. 3-0 Giants, right?

Wrong. Juanyeh Thomas of the Cowboys shot past Joshua Ezeudu* and blocked Gano's kick. The ball was picked up by Noah Igbinoghene, who ran it back 58 yards for the touchdown. 6-0 Boys. But like the voice on the advertisement says, "wait, there's more."

A field goal and a pick six made it 16-0 after the first quarter. Another field goal and two-yard run by Tony Pollard made it 26-0 after the second.

The heavens weren't the only thing pouring down on the Jints at halftime.

If you stuck around to watch the second half, you either believe in unicorns or you're a masochist. Because it went from ugly to humiliating. The Cowboys never relented and the Giants never responded. The final score of 40-0 was the second-worst margin of defeat in franchise history. A 45-0 beatdown by the Eagles in 1948 stands as the worst. When you gotta go all the way back to the '40s to bail your ass out, you're pathetic.

In his postgame presser, Head coach Brian Daboll said, "Don't sugarcoat it. It was a bad game." 

A bad game? This team should be so lucky. Calling what happened at the Meadowlands "bad" is like calling the Atlantic ocean wet. The truth is the Cowboys took advantage of a Giants team that looked unprepared and completely overmatched. 

As a rule I am not given to overreacting when it comes to my favorite sports teams. When the Rangers lost game seven against the Devils last spring, I felt it my duty to talk down from the ledge many fans who were convinced the team needed to be tore down and GM Chris Drury fired. A new coach, I argued, could fix what was wrong.

I had high hopes for this team going into their season opener against Dallas; a game I thought they could win. So believe me when I say that I am deeply concerned by what I saw last night. From the quarterback to the offensive line to the defense to the special teams, this was an epic fail across the board. Jones, in particular, looked like he had regressed back to where he was before the arrival of Daboll. Though to be completely fair, he was running for his life most of the game. The seven sacks the Cowboys registered don't begin to describe how dominant their front seven was. Micah Parsons looked liked the second coming of Lawrence Taylor.

But what troubled me the most was the total lack of compete. After the blocked field goal, there was virtually no pushback from Big Blue. They looked more like spectators than athletes. Coming from a team that last season was one of the most resilient teams in the NFL, it was a pitiful display. 

What made it worse was that less than four hours away in New England, the Patriots fell behind the Eagles by an identical 16-0 score in the first quarter. But unlike the Giants, they summoned the testicular  fortitude to make a game of it, scoring 14 unanswered points in the second quarter before eventually losing 25-20, in what turned out to be one of the more entertaining games of the day. In less time than it took the Lusitania to sink, the Giants went out with their collective tails between their legs. Like I said, pitiful.

The Giants won't have much time to feel sorry for themselves. Next Sunday, they fly out to Arizona to play the Cardinals, a game they should and must win. After that, the schedule gets considerably tougher: the 49ers in San Francisco, the Seahawks at home, followed by the Dolphins and Bills on the road. It is not inconceivable that this team could be 1-5 after six games. Last season, they jumped out to a 6-1 start.

Come to think of it, maybe a root canal would've been less painful.

* In an earlier version of this piece I wrote that it was Evan Neal (# 73) that Juanyeh Thomas shot past on the blocked field goal attempt. After reviewing the play several times, I realized it was actually Joshua Ezeudu (# 75) who was the culprit. This doesn't absolve Neal or his other line mates, all of whom had a brutal night.

2023 Giants and NFL Preview

Let's be honest for a moment. Going into last season, you didn't think the Giants would go 9-7-1, make the postseason and actually win a playoff game, did you?

Me neither. In fact, if memory serves, I cautioned Giants fans to manage their expectations, believing that Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll would need time to climb out of the hole the previous administration had dug.

So much for managing expectations. Daboll and his staff did an incredible job. They "fixed" what was wrong with Daniel Jones, and the fifth year quarterback out of Duke responded by having his best season as a pro, passing for 3205 yards, 15 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He also rushed for 708 yards, 7 touchdowns and only 2 fumbles. His passer rating of 92.5 was the highest of his career, and was better than Dak Prescott, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson and a certain Jets quarterback named Aaron Rodgers.

Saquon Barkley not only stayed healthy - a major accomplishment given his past - he had the second best season of his career, rushing for 1312 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes for 338 yards. Overall, Barkley accounted for 29 percent of the Giants total yards on offense.

On the other side of the ball defensive coordinator Wink Martindale transformed the Giants defense into a force to be reckoned with. They were 10th in the league in red-zone efficiency, and with the additions that Schoen brought in, there's reason to believe they will improve on that number.

And that's where we begin our preview of this year's Giants team. 

On offense, Jones will have more weapons at his disposal than he had last season. Darren Waller, acquired from the Raiders, will team up with second year tight end Daniel Bellinger to give the Giants a genuine two tight end set for the first time since the Tom Coughlin era. At wide receiver, a full year of Isaiah Hodgins, Sterling Shepard (ACL), rookie phenom Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton should stretch opposing defenses a bit more than last year; and Barkley will continue to be what he's always been: a dual threat out of the backfield. There are no Lamar Chases or Tyreek Hills on this roster, but neither are there scrubs. Bottom line, Jones should have more than 15 touchdown passes this season.

On defense, Isaiah Simmons and Bobby Okereke are significant upgrades at inside linebacker; Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari and Dexter Lawrence should continue to improve; and rookies Deonte Banks and Trey Hawkins are expected to fortify a secondary that already has Adoree Jackson, Xavier McKinney and Darnay Holmes in it.

If there is one legitimate concern, it is depth, especially on the offensive line and at linebacker. But anybody that looks objectively at this roster and doesn't see a vast improvement over last season's simply isn't paying attention; or perhaps doesn't want to see it. The fact is Schoen had himself a helluva offseason.

So where will the Giants finish this year? Regrettably, about where they finished last year. The reality is that while the Giants are an improved team, Philadelphia and Dallas are still better. Though I do think the Jints will give the Cowpokes a run for their money for second place. A record of 10-7 and a wildcard spot is possible given the schedule and the talent on this team.

Below are my predictions for the 2023 NFL standings and postseason.

NFC East:
Eagles
Cowboys
Giants
Commanders

NFC North:
Lions
Vikings
Packers
Bears

NFC South:
Saints
Falcons
Buccaneers
Panthers

NFC West:
49ers *
Seahawks
Rams
Cardinals

AFC East:
Bills
Dolphins
Jets
Patriots

AFC North:
Bengals
Ravens
Steelers
Browns

AFC South:
Jaguars
Titans
Colts
Texans

AFC West:
Chiefs *
Chargers
Raiders
Broncos

* Number one seed
Italics: wildcards

Conference championships:

NFC: 49ers over the Eagles

AFC: Chiefs over the Bengals

Super Bowl:

Chiefs over the 49ers