Three straight victories entering Sunday have pushed the New York Giants to 5-8, improbably keeping them in the NFC Wild Card race as the NFL calendar turns to Week 15. New York is just one game outside the current playoff picture, and this weekend’s action could alter the club’s postseason hopes.
Giants Playoff Chances | Week 15 Update
Note that this article was originally published on Dec. 17 before Sunday’s games began. The results of this week’s games are below and will continue to be updated throughout the day.
After Week 15, the Giants remain the No. 12 seed in the NFC.
1 p.m. ET Games Update
Panthers (2-12) defeated Falcons (6-8)
Buccaneers (7-7) defeated Packers (6-8)
Saints (7-7) defeated Giants (5-9)
Browns (9-5) defeated Bears (5-9)
4 p.m. ET Games Update
Bills (8-6) defeated Cowboys (10-4)
Monday Night Football Update
Seahawks (7-7) defeated Eagles (10-4)
Keep reading below to see the playoff scenarios for the Giants entering Week 15. And head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff picture.
New York Giants’ Playoff Chances Entering Week 15
While Big Blue’s recent resurgence has helped remove the bad vibes that had encroached on New York earlier this season, the Giants are still highly unlikely to make the postseason this year.
New York has already been eliminated from winning the NFC East, so its only route to the playoffs will be via a Wild Card entry. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives the Giants just a 0.4% chance of entering the tournament.
Still, Tommy DeVito and Co. can dream, right? And depending on this weekend’s results, New York’s chances of a playoff berth could inch closer to reality.
A set of Week 15 permutations exists that would leave the Giants as the No. 7 seed after Monday night’s game concludes, but they would need nearly every team above them in the NFC standings to lose.
The Minnesota Vikings complied on Saturday afternoon, but New York would also need losses from the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and Atlanta Falcons. Even then, its playoff chances would only increase to roughly 12%.
Looking past Week 15, the Giants’ most significant obstacle to a playoff berth is their upcoming set of opponents. New York will close the season with the NFL’s second-most-difficult schedule, per PFN’s SOS matrix.
MORE: New York Giants Depth Chart
Realistically, the Giants likely need to win at least three of their next four games to have a chance at grabbing a Wild Card slot.
But they have to face the Philadelphia Eagles twice over the next month, meaning New York would need to win at least one matchup against one of the NFL’s best clubs.
The Giants’ other two opponents — the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams — are also in the NFC playoff mix. But if Big Blue managed to take down the Saints and Rams while beating the Eagles at least once, they’d finish the season 8-9.
At that point, the NFC Wild Card race might come to NFL playoff tiebreakers. The Giants would have a 7-5 record inside the conference, plus head-to-head victories over Green Bay, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.
Even if New York ends up with an 8-9 record, it could still miss the playoffs this season. The Giants could win out, finish 9-8, and still theoretically be on the outside looking in.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!Â
