Keys for the New York Giants' Post-Bye Week Success

Okay ladies and gentlemen, to quote New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, “Here we go.”

Thanks to an extremely weak NFC East, the Giants are not only relevant in the playoff hunt, they’re also sitting at the top of the division with six games to go.

While no one—no, not even the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, the last two undefeated teams in the NFL this year—plays a perfect game week in and week out, by simply focusing on some specific areas that have hurt them all year long, the Giants can indeed snap a playoff-less streak that dates back to the 2011 season.

In the following slides, we’ll look at those areas where improvement is a MUST moving forward, weighing the stats against the remaining opponents.

We’ll also answer that magic question that seems to be on everyone’s mind: How many wins do the Giants need to realistically have a chance to make it into the postseason? 

Capitalize on Turnovers

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Imagine being given a large gift certificate to your favorite store only to either lose the certificate or never use it.

Therein lies the problem with the Giants offense, which, according to New York's weekly game release, has been given 23 takeaways by the defense but has converted just nine of those into touchdowns (39.1 percent).

As the competition heats up—and much like the Giants, their remaining six opponents, all of whom are in the playoff hunt, are planning on playing their best ball down the stretch—whenever a mistake is made by an opponent in the form of a turnover, New York must find a way to capitalize on it.

Settling for field goals isn’t going to get it done down the stretch, pure and simple.

Start Seeing Green Inside the Red Zone

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Coughlin likes to call the area inside of the opponent’s 20 the “green zone,” but given the Giants’ performance of late down in that territory, its true name, “red zone” is probably a better descriptor.

In its last two games, New York has converted just three of nine red-zone trips into touchdowns for an average of 4.1 points per red-zone possession.

That’s not playoff-quality production right there—and if the Giants don’t fix it moving forward, there’s going to be a great chance these last six games will be closer than they need to be. 

Get off the Field on 3rd Down

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Just when it looks like the Giants defense has the opponent right where it wants it, along comes third down and with it, an extension of the opponent’s scoring drive.

That’s right, the Giants have the worst third-down defense in the NFL, allowing a 47.1 percent conversion rate. Thanks to that stat, it’s no wonder why, according to the team's weekly game release, the Giants’ average time of possession is 28 minutes, 31 seconds.

Win the 4th Quarter

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You’ve heard Coughlin no doubt numerous times talk about finishing games.  So let’s put some numbers to that plea and see how the Giants stack up to their opponents.

The Giants have been outscored 100-85 in the fourth quarter of games, their biggest point differential.

According to the season stats for each of their remaining six opponents (via NFL GSIS), three clubs—Miami, Minnesota and the Eagles—have struggled in the fourth quarter of their games while Washington (plus-10), the Jets (plus-20) and the Panthers (plus-12) have outscored their opponents in the game’s final 15 minutes.

It sounds simple, yet it’s overlooked. The Giants need to somehow find a way to capture the magic they’ve enjoyed in the second quarter of their games, where they have outscored their opponents by 29 points, in the fourth quarter.

Finish No Worse Than 4-2 in Their Remaining 6 Games

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

A popular question on the minds of many is how many wins the Giants realistically need to clinch a playoff berth. While the ideal number is six, a 4-2 mark should get it done.

However, there is a caveat here. Of the Giants’ remaining six opponents—Washington, Jets, Miami, Carolina, Minnesota and Philadelphia—there are some “must-win” games.

Two such games are Washington and the Eagles (division opponents) which would give the Giants a 4-2 division record and would feature a sweep against Washington and splits with Dallas and the Eagles.  

The two other games the Giants need to win include the Jets and the Dolphins because the third tiebreaker (behind head-to-head and division games), according to NFL’s tiebreaking procedures, is best win-loss record in common games played.  

According to a simulation via the New York Times, if the Giants' remaining six games play out this way, they still have a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs; a win against the Panthers, to whom Dallas, Washington and Philadelphia have already lost, would be the icing on the cake. 

If the Giants should lose to the Eagles, Washington and Carolina and win against the Jets, Dolphins and Vikings, their chances of making the playoffs dip to 26 percent, according to a simulation run on the New York Times' playoff simulator.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats are from NFL.com.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.