Let us get this out in the open right from the start:
There is no such thing as a “must win’’ NFL game in the first week of October.
Such dramatic pronouncements in early autumn should be the purview of the Mets and Yankees — alas, not this year — and not for the getting-warmed-up Giants as they prepare for Monday night’s game with the Seahawks.
This is not a “must win’’ for the Giants.
It feels much more like a “must not lose’’ game for them, and if you want to cry out that “must win’’ and “must not lose’’ are one and the same, well, you might not be totally wrong, but you probably aren’t completely right, either.
“I mean, it’s definitely still early, this is not a must game I would say,’’ defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “It’s not something that’s going to keep us out or keep us in the playoffs at the end of the year, but at the same time, we try to look at the season like quarterly. So, the first four games are a quarter, and we would obviously like to go into the next quarter at least even, going into the next quarter. So, if we start off the season 1-3 that’s not ideal.’’
Nothing thus far this season has been close to ideal for the Giants.
Must the Giants win to keep their season alive?
If they do not win, are they eliminated from anything?
It is Week 4, and that means there is so much ahead that there is time for anything and everything to happen.
Or maybe not.
The Giants are 1-2, and another loss likely starts a spiral downward.
It is that time of the season to participate in the game show entitled “Schedule Spinner.’’
It is the ever-popular crystal-ball challenge that commences in late April when the NFL computer spits out the 17-game slate for every team — unleashing the “win, lose, lose, win, win, bye, win, lose’’ prognostication drumbeat that concludes with simple addition and a final record projection.
The “Schedule Spinner’’ for the Giants easily could have penned them for 1-2 (lose to the Cowboys, beat the Cardinals, lose to the 49ers) after three games, so the wheels remain on the bus.
Up ahead, there are back-to-back road tests in Miami and Buffalo, and the “Schedule Spinner’’ has “L” and “L” for those two tilts, acknowledging that the Giants will indeed make those trips and try their best.
So, we have before us a game the Giants cannot afford to lose, as 1-2 could devolve into 1-5 well before Halloween.
There is dim light at 2-4 and almost no wattage at 1-5.
The Seahawks are 2-1 and nobody’s patsies, but they are not the Cowboys and or 49ers.
They went 9-8 last season and lost in the wild-card round.
The Giants went 9-7-1 and won their wild-card game.
These are comparable teams.
The Giants are home, and the Seahawks are making a cross-country trip to get here and play here.
The Giants should be desperate, but there was very little desperation on display the first three games.
“I think you can feel where the fans are, where the reporters are, like where the media is at,’’ Saquon Barkley said. “You know you can feel that. I don’t want to say pressure, I don’t want to say in a sense of urgency, but it is definitely better to start the first quarter of the season 2-2 than 1-3, so is it like a must-win?
“You got to stress it, you got to feel like it’s a must-win. We come out and we don’t get the job done, then we are 1-3. You can’t just be like, ‘Oh we’ve got to set the building on fire, we’re done,’ because there is still a long season to be played. But at the same time, you’ve got to realize it’s important to go out there and win against an NFC opponent, and especially a really good team.’’
Weeks 7 and 8 — home games with the Commanders and Aaron Rodgers-less Jets — and a Week 9 meeting with the Raiders in Vegas usher in softer landing spots for the Giants.
That takes it to midseason, and we dare not delve any further ahead.
It is all about this game, this opponent and this opportunity.
The Giants, coming off 11 days between games, are well-rested and getting healthier.
Must win?
Well, let’s put it this way: Much, much better for them not to lose.
