It’s time to come to arguably the first team in this series to have legitimate playoff expectations, and their recent history is highlighted by two improbable runs to the Lombardi Trophy. Can Eli do it again with the help of surely his best target yet? There’s plenty to consider in this Giants season preview.

You can also read a Fan Take on the team from our Giants-supporting writer Tom Bogert – click here.

2014 summary

A transitional year.

Blocking issues certainly didn’t help them, and they were well behind the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles in a suddenly solid NFC East, but they couldn’t have pulled off a bigger heist with their draft pick.

Odell Beckham Jr. set records in yardage and touchdowns for a rookie season. And he missed its first month with a hamstring issue. Had he had 16 games at the same 12-game pace of production, he’d have become the first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history – as a 21-year-old rookie.

Part of his production came from being the entire offense as Victor Cruz suffered a potentially career-threatening tear of his patellar tendon while running back Rashard Jennings was also hurt, but that just meant he instantly became a machine even against blanket coverage.

He now has every corner in the league wanting a piece of him, and if that’s not enough of a challenge, there’s also the Madden Curse to conquer this season as well. Can he deliver?

Personnel changes

Beckham will get some help from first-round tackle Ereck Flowers, a ferocious blocker who could become one of the league’s best right tackles in time. He’ll probably be prematurely installed on the blind side as left tackle William Beatty recovers from a pectoral tear, however.

A similar story of premature promotion awaits Owa Odighizuwa. A steal in the third round when some mocks had him going in the first, the edge rusher will now have to step in right away to replace the explosive Jason Pierre-Paul after the infamous firework incident. Second-rounder Landon Collins – for whom the Giants traded up – will also be expected to make an immediate impact as a thumping strong safety.

On the free agency front, Shane Vereen could be a canny signing as a third-down back who can exploit gaps underneath any Beckham-centric coverage, while J.T. Thomas was added at surprising expense to fill in as a coverage linebacker.

Team strengths

Beckham. He could see his weekly production fall by 25% and still be amongst the top receivers in the game statistically. Cruz should be back in some capacity, too, and Eli Manning has his flaws so focused on that his strengths are underappreciated, so there’s real optimism in the state of the all-important aerial attack.

Team weaknesses

A plain underwhelming roster in many positions. There isn’t a single area where the Giants stink, but arguably none beyond wide receiver and quarterback that stand out at all – certainly now Pierre-Paul is out indefinitely.

His injury, and that of Beatty, means there is an awful lot of reliance on rookies to deliver very quckly in key positions. Not every rookie is even remotely like Beckham.

Best case

Beckham rewrites the record books and the rising tide lifts all boats to a legitimate championship challenge. It’s too soon this year – two improbable championships is quite enough luck to be going on with – but you can go a long, long way with a moderately talented roster and an immoderately talented receiver in today’s NFL. Especially when your regular-season schedule somehow features zero road trips to non-divisional playoff teams, as is the case for the Giants this year. 12-4, first in NFC East, lose in NFC Championship Game

Worst case

Beckham’s season is killed by recurring hamstring injuries, and the rest of the roster has no answer. The “Eliception” nickname returns as Manning has a nightmare season, and the Giants are suddenly in the market for a new franchise quarterback in the 2016 draft. 4-12, fourth in NFC East

Prediction

The way I see the Giants is that they are like a better version of the Atlanta Falcons. One quality QB, one devastating WR to throw to, and then mediocrity at best… but the Giants are at least no worse than mediocre at most positions, and don’t have a glaring weakness like the Falcons’ O-line. I think the Giants will be in a down-to-the-wire playoff race; their week 17 home clash with the Philadelphia Eagles must be the way-too-early favourite for the season-ending Sunday Night Football slot. Ultimately, I’ll say they fall just short, but I wouldn’t be the first bit surprised if they’re in action during Wild Card weekend. 9-7, second or third in NFC East