Giants' attempt at playoff encore rests on shoulders of QB Daniel Jones

The element of surprise is gone for the New York Giants. They know they snuck up on the NFL last year, when even Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll weren't sure what they had. No one expected they'd end up a playoff team.

Now, that's where the expectations start.

That's what happens after they spent the offseason adding to a team that went a surprising 9-7-1 a year ago and even won a playoff game as a road team. They are now expected to be better. They are expected to be a contender.

And that's true, even if Daboll and Schoen aren't quite ready to admit that's where the Giants are.

"We'll see," Schoen said last week when asked if this Giants team is better than last year's. "I like some of the guys that we brought in in free agency. I like some of the guys that we drafted. But they've still got to go out there and do it on Sundays."

Yes they do, and that won't be easy against a schedule that seems much tougher. But the Giants seem much tougher too, particularly on offense. They made a point of surrounding their $160 million quarterback, Daniel Jones, with better weapons — particularly with the trade for dynamic tight end Darren Waller. They're stronger on their offensive line and on the back end of their defense, too.

On paper at least they look better than the team that got off to a 7-2 start last season, then hung on through a second-half slump to make the playoffs for the first time in six years. They look more like the team that won a playoff game in Minnesota, 31-24, and stronger than the one that got crushed in Philadelphia one week later, 38-7.

But are they?

"Again, we'll see what happens," Schoen said. "I'm not going to say we're going to do X, Y and Z, but I think if we focus on our process, we'll see results."

Yes, we'll see.

Here's a look at a Giants team hoping to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 15 years:

The Quarterback: Maybe the outside world is questioning the Giants' decision to pay Daniel Jones $40 million per year, but nobody is blinking at that amount inside the organization. They saw him carry the team for most of last season with his arm and his legs. They watched him throw for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns in the first year of a new offense with arguably the worst receiving corps in the league. Even when you factor in his 708 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, those aren't elite numbers. But he's got better weapons now. He's smart. He cut down on turnovers. He knows when to run and when to throw. He has all the elements of a good — and maybe someday, great — quarterback. And the Giants are convinced that last year was just the start.

Under-the-radar player to watch: The Giants' offense is going to run through Jones, Saquon Barkley and new tight end Darren Waller, who they hope will inject some juice into their passing game. If it does, they might even get some decent production out of their receivers this year. And if they do, keep an eye on Darius Slayton, who was the closest thing the Giants had to a big-play threat last season (15.7 yards per catch). He's got chemistry with Jones and figures to benefit from defenses that are going to have to shadow Waller and keep their eyes on speedy rookie Jalin Hyatt when he's sent deep. Slayton probably isn't going to put up No. 1 receiver-type numbers. But don't be shocked to see him push 60-70 catches and maybe even 900 or 1,000 yards.

Strength of the team: For a team that doesn't have a great offensive line, this feels a little risky to say, but the Giants' strength really is their rushing attack. That's mostly because of the incredible abilities of Barkley and Jones. They both have a knack of creating holes where there are none, and finding room to run. And last year, with some improvement up front, they took advantage of the holes they actually got. The good news is that with Waller and Hyatt and Parris Campbell, they have more weapons in the passing attack so teams won't be able to stack the line of scrimmage against Barkley and Jones anymore — at least not as much. In theory, that should make their running game even more dangerous. But that's as long as their offensive line holds up.

Area of concern: That offensive line is better than it was, but that's not saying much considering how bad it had become for so many years. They are finally adding good, young talent — like Andrew Thomas who has become one of the best left tackles in the league. They also have high hopes for rookie center John Michael Schmitz and for right tackle Evan Neal, who had a rocky rookie year. But they still need help at guard where Mark Glowinski and Ben Bredeson provide good, but not great blocking. There's the potential here for the line to be in the top half of the league, but potential for it to be a lot worse than that too. Also, as is the case with many spots on the depth chart, the depth at this position just isn't there. They all need to stay healthy, or else.

Rookie to watch: Receiver Jalin Hyatt has created a lot of buzz this summer with his blazing speed. It remains to be seen how often the Giants are going to use it, and whether he's capable of anything other than running deep, straight routes. But when he runs them, boy does he run fast. Even if he's just used in select spots, he is so electric he can really mess with a defense, either beating them for big plays or opening everything up for everyone else. He might be more like the fourth or fifth receiver on the Giants. But when he's on the field, everyone will be watching.

Money player: Saquon Barkley's hopes of getting a big, new contract died with the rest of the running back market in the offseason and he's stuck with about $11 million on his renegotiated franchise tag. His hope remains that he'll play his way into a lucrative contract extension this season, though the truth is he's probably just fooling himself. The running back market isn't likely to get better and the Giants can still tag Barkley again, so no matter what he does he's likely going to repeat last offseason again in 2024. But a big season will certainly help his case, and could convince the Giants to maybe increase their long-term offer a little bit. The two sides weren't all that far apart when negotiations broke down in July. Maybe another 1,300 yards and, most importantly, playing all 17 games will help bridge that gap.

Outlook: There is no doubt the Giants are a better team than they were a year ago, particularly on offense. But there are two problems with getting behind them as a legitimate contender. One is their depth, which in a lot of places is nonexistent. Even a small injury wave could be devastating to this team. The other is that they play a seemingly tougher schedule this year — particularly in the first two months of the season. That's a problem for a team that started 7-2 last year and pulled a lot of those games out in the end. Will the Giants get the same breaks against better teams? Will they be strong enough to survive if the first half isn't as good? As Schoen said, "We'll see …" But the Giants have the look of a team that should be better, even if their record isn't.

Prediction: 9-8 … They'll probably have to battle to get to .500 after a poor start, but there's no reason they can't at least hang around the playoff chase until the end.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.