There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the New York Giants in 2026.
This season marks the first year under new head coach John Harbaugh, who joined the organization after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and won Super Bowl 47 with the franchise in 2012.
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The Giants’ front office and its fans are hoping and expecting Harbaugh to lead Big Blue back to the promised land in hoisting a Lombardi Trophy after a 15-year wait since Super Bowl 46 in 2011.
A big role in getting the Giants there, or just making it back to the postseason, will be keeping the offensive star trio of QB Jaxson Dart, RB Cam Skattebo and WR Malik Nabers healthy, as each of them missed some or significant time in 2025.
Following a hugely disappointing 4-13 finish a season ago, will Harbaugh & Co. be able to turn things around during his first campaign with Big Blue?
Our NFL prognosticators are: Art Stapleton (Giants/NFL writer, NorthJersey.com), Bert Bainbridge (sports trending reporter/columnist, NorthJersey.com), Brian Marron (digital producer, NorthJersey.com), Chris Iseman (Rutgers writer, NorthJersey.com), Mike Dougherty (sports writer, lohud.com), Bob Jordan (sports editor, Asbury Park Press/APP.com) and Dave Rivera (sports editor, USA TODAY Northeast/NorthJersey.com).
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Here are our predictions for what record the Giants will finish with in the 2026 season:
Giants record: 9-8
The presence of John Harbaugh raises the floor for this team considerably. His biggest impact will be felt in preparation before and after games with accountability and attention to detail. There are games early in which Giants will be favored (Tennessee and Arizona at home) and need to win, especially if they take their lumps in Week 2 in Los Angeles against the dream team Rams. This team is going to be better up front on both sides of the ball than people expect, and that’s going to be the difference.
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Giants record: 8-9
The Giants will double their win total in 2026 from a year ago, but lingering questions and concerns about the health and durability of their offensive stars in Dart, Nabers and Skattebo are a factor late into the season, as a hot start cools off with a second half letdown from Big Blue, who miss out on sneaking into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the NFC in Harbaugh’s debut season with the Giants.
Giants record: 7-10
The Giants will likely be better under John Harbaugh’s new staff, but the schedule did not do them favors with the strong NFC West and improved AFC South on the docket. Throw in an unfortunate fourth-place matchup with the Detroit Lions, and it’s difficult seeing the Giants make the postseason. New York would likely have to split its divisional schedule to have a chance, which could prove tough with the Cowboys and Eagles looking like two of the stronger teams in the NFC.
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Giants record: 8-9
The approach of John Harbaugh is going to help as will the fact that Jackson Dart is a year older and hopefully wiser. While there are some talented playmakers in the lineup, Big Blue doesn’t match up with most of the playoff contenders in the division and on the schedule.
Giants record: 8-9
John Harbaugh will turn the Giants back into a competitive football team, but not a winning one just yet.
Giants record: 7-10
The Giants won 11 games in Ben McAdoo’s first year, so anything is possible.
Giants record: 9-8
There are plenty of storylines for this 2026 Giants team, beginning with new head coach John Harbaugh. This team will be prepared each week, and it has the makings of playing meaningful games down the stretch. They’ll be interesting to watch in what could be an unpredictable NFC East this season.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How many games will the Giants win this season? See our expert picks
