Captains’ Code: Breaking Down 2025 NFL Team DNA — New York Giants
Edition #282
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Captains’ Code is all about what really makes or breaks an NFL team. It’s not just about rosters or vibes. It’s about the identity, the pressure points, the bold calls, and the one thing that could send everything crashing down… or finally take them over the top. No filler. Just straight-up football breakdowns that tell you what actually matters heading into 2025.
The X-Factor That Will Make or Break This Season
The entirety of the New York Giants' fate in 2025, and thus general manager Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll's futures rest on the hope that a revamped defense will improve to the point that it takes significant pressure off Russell Wilson -- and eventually -- Jaxson Dart and the offense to slug its way to more than a handful of 17-13 type of victories. All eyes are on Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence as what has the potential to be among the most disruptive front-sevens in the sport, but the impact veteran defensive backs Javon Holland and Paulson Adebo make on a secondary that allowed 227.5 yards per game could hold the key to this defense going from one ranking inside the top 10 to one capable of leading the charge.
Last Year’s Numbers:
31st in points per game (16.1), 30th in total offense (294.8), 23rd in rushing yards per game (104.9), 28th in passing offense (189.9 yards per game), 24th in total defense (346.8 yards per game), 21st in points allowed per game (24.4), 27th in rushing defense (136.2 yards allowed per game).
Key Player(s) to Watch: The Heroes and the Wild Cards
Daboll and the Giants' offense aim to be explosive in 2025, and there is a confidence within the building that Malik Nabers will be the biggest beneficiary of quarterback Russell Wilson's arrival. Nabers will be the spark that ignites the Giants' offense, after catching 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, in 15 games, while posing a 9.7 yard-average depth of target. Former first-round draft choice Evan Neal is the x-factor along an offensive line that has been in various states of transition amid various rebuilds over the past 15 seasons. Neal is transitioning from offensive tackle, to guard, while competing for a starting spot. Multiple coaches and executives are optimistic that the position change will bring out his best and help solidify an offensive line that is finally showing some signs of improvement. Defensively, second-year safety Tyler Nubin looks like a playmaker, and having a veteran like Holland playing alongside him could bring out the best in the former University of Minnesota standout.
Coaching: What’s Different This Year?
The level of desperation and pressure has never been higher.
How those things alter Daboll's commitment to, and even plans to start, Russell Wilson, especially if Jaxson Dart continues to play like he's ready to execute the offense at a high level, will be fascinating to watch unfold.
The Realistic Win Total & Why
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There is little question that Schoen has improved the talent at the top of the roster at key positions, and in some cases, dramatically so. Likewise, both Wilson and Dart are significant improvements at quarterback, just as Nabers, second-year tight end Theo Johnson, and perhaps Jalin Hyatt are ascending. However, the Giants face the most difficult strength of schedule in the league, and depth is a major concern as the talent level catapults from the top of the depth chart at key positions.
The Biggest Question Mark Heading Into 2025
Daboll has an edict to show marked improvement, from owner John Mara, in order to be the coach of this team beyond 2025, and also has a first-round quarterback the Giants traded up for, who just might reset the clock on his tenure if he plays at a high level. Those goals are incongruent with each other in a lot of ways, and if Wilson falters or looks like the shell of himself that he has been in Denver and Pittsburgh over the past three seasons, it may be up to Dart to salvage respectability and Daboll's job.
My Takeaway
The Giants' defense is good enough to keep them in games. Carter, Burns, Lawrence, and the pass rush, alone, are going to keep New York from being blown out. This feels like a team plenty capable of hovering around .500, if it gets even respectable quarterback play. One Liner: A new era may finally be dawning in North Jersey.
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