The 2022 NFL regular season is officially complete. For the first time since 2016, the New York Football Giants didn’t have to pack their things and go home this week. Instead, they’re owners of the sixth seed in the NFC Playoffs. Their prize is a Christmas Eve rematch in Minnesota against the Vikings.
As one might imagine, the trash talk has already started as Big Blue prepares for its biggest game in years. First-year head coach Brian Daboll and his staff shocked (and impressed) everyone by getting what many thought was a roster that needed to be rebuilt, back to the postseason.
It’s not just that the Giants’ 9-7-1 record is their first winning season since 2016. It’s also the first time they’ve gotten themselves over the six-win mark during this period. After going 4-13 in 2021, Daboll and Co. squeezed every last bit of talent out of this roster to more than double its win total just one year later.
There have been many things to like about the Giants throughout the course of this year, even with the imperfections. But how did they rank in certain categories when compared to the rest of the league?
With the help of our friends at SportRadar, we can see where they ranked in 32 different categories. We’ll detail it below with what the category is, how New York performed, where it ranked within the NFL, and what the league average number was.
Giveaways: 16 (2nd in NFL), 22.2 league average
Offensive Rushing Yards Per Game: 148.2 (4th), 121.6 league average
Defensive Red Zone TD %: 49.2% (5th), 56.1% league average
Defensive 3rd Down %: 35.1% (5th), 39.4% league average
Offensive Red Zone TD %: 63.3% (7th), 56.1% league average
Rushing % on Offense: 47.8 (8th), 43.3 league average
Offensive Red Zone Score %: 89.8% (10th), 86.4% league average
Turnover Margin: 3 (11th), 0 league average
Starting Field Position After Kickoff: 25.9 (13th), 25.8 league average
Defensive Sacks: 41.0 (13th), 40.5 league average
Defensive Passing Yards Per Game: 214.0 (14th), 218.5 league average
Points Scored Per Game: 21.5 (T-15th), 21.9 league average
Defensive Rushing %: 43.5 (15th), 43.3 league average
Point Differential: -0.4 per game (16th), 0.0 league average
Rushing Yard Differential: 4.0 (16th), 0.0 league average
Points Allowed Per Game: 21.8 (T-17th), 21.9 league average
Offensive Yards Per Game: 333.9 (18th), 340.1 league average
Defensive Passing %: 56.5 (18th), 56.7 league average
Penalty Yards: 827 (19th), 780.7 league average
Defensive Red Zone Score %: 87.3% (19th), 86.4% league average
PAT %: 94.1% (22nd), 94.6% league average
Offensive Third-Down %: 36.8% (22nd), 39.4% league average
2-Minute Offense: 13 (T-23), 17.5 league average
Defensive Yards Per Game: 358.2 (25th), 340.1 league average
Takeaways: 19 (25th), 22.2 league average
Offensive Passing %: 52.2% (25th), 56.7% league average
Net Passing Difference Per Game: -28.3 (26th), 0.0 league average
Drive Ending in Punt %: 41.9% (26th), 37.0%
Penalties: 106 (T-26), 94.8 league average
Offensive Passing Yards Per Game: 185.7 (26th), 218.5 league average
Defensive Rushing Yards Per Game: 144.2 (27th), 121.6 league average
Offensive Sacks Allowed: 49 (T-27th), 40.5 league average
Let’s find some perspective in these rankings to see how much things have changed from 2021 to 2022. New York ranked within the top 10 in seven different categories, and among the top half of the league in 15 categories. It’s also worth noting they didn’t finish 30th or worse in any of the above metrics.
In 2021, the Giants ranked in the top 10 in five categories, and within the top half of the league in 11 categories. On the other side of the spectrum, they ranked 30th or worse on seven different occasions.
This is the definition of progress, and Big Blue is playing with house money as they attempt to advance past the Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
