After a disappointing 2023 campaign, the NY Giants will look to bounce back in 2024. With the Giants’ schedule officially released and the NFL season around the corner, there are high hopes that quarterback Daniel Jones can turn the page and lead the G-Men back to the playoffs this year.
For the Giants to finish with a winning record and clinch a playoff berth, the team will need to stay healthy and take advantage of favorable matchups on this year’s schedule. The Giants’ defense improved significantly this offseason with the additions of pass-rusher Brian Burns and rookie safety Tyler Nubin, but Big Blue’s offense will also need to exceed expectations.
Danny Dimes and the Giants’ new-look offense will look to dominate some of the weaker secondaries on this year’s schedule. Jones will have the help of a few new additions in rookie wideout Malik Nabers, running back Devin Singletary, and several new faces of the offensive line. 
Last year, the Giants averaged 15.6 points per game, so this team will succeed if they all stay healthy. However, a lot falls on No. 8 under center to win the Giants’ no-excuse games this year. Let’s look at a few of the worst secondaries the Giants will face in 2024 that they must take advantage of.
5. Minnesota Vikings
The Giants will open their season at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8 and look to start the 2024 campaign in the win column. After quarterback Kirk Cousins’s departure and drafting rookie J.J. McCarthy, many things need to be discovered about what this Vikings team will achieve this year.
The team also made several changes on defense. The Vikings did, however, retain starting cornerbacks Akayleb Evans and veteran Byron Murphy Jr. but did add depth at the position with Shaquill Griffin. Evans was benched in two separate games toward the end of last season, and Murphy will now have to compete with Griffin for opportunities that are not guaranteed.
The Vikings’ strength is in the safety position, with Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum projected as the starters. While Smith and Bynum are coming off solid 2023 campaigns, the Vikings need more depth after the starters, and the Giants’ offense can always catch Minnesota’s safeties off guard. It will be Week 1, and the G-Men will have the home-field advantage. I expect Danny Dimes and the Giants’ offense to expose Minnesota’s secondary and start the season with a victory.
4. Washington Commanders
The Giants should take care of business against the NFC East rival Washington Commanders. Washington’s defense led the league in the most opponent points per game at 30.5 and opponent total points at 518 in 2023. The Commanders have a young secondary consisting of Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Percy Butler, and Benjamin St-Juste. The team also signed cornerback Noah Igbinoghene as depth after Forbes struggled as a rookie and St-Juste was inconsistent last year. Still, the big free agent signing was safety Jeremy Chinn.
This move comes after Kamren Curl signed with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency. Chinn enters his fifth professional season after four years with the Carolina Panthers. Last season, the veteran only appeared in 12 games and has struggled to stay healthy the previous two seasons.
He’ll have the opportunity to bounce back with the Commanders and provide experience to a young secondary unit. With the Giants facing Washington on Weeks 2 and 9, we can expect Jones and the offense to take advantage of this inexperienced secondary.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick headlines the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary, but after playing in only 10 games last season, we don’t know what to expect from him. The veteran missed four games in the middle of the season and the three final games at the end of the year due to a hamstring injury. With the Steelers thin at the safety position, the team signed former Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott in free agency.
While adding Elliott provides much-needed depth, he doesn’t necessarily move the needle for the Steelers. Pittsburgh also added Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson in free agency. The veteran is coming off a poor performance in 2023, where he had one forced fumble, five passes defended, and did not record an interception in 16 games played.
Still, the Steelers’ top corner is Joey Porter Jr. The 2023 second-round pick is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign, where he had 32 solo tackles, 10 passes defended, and one interception. Porter is still unproven, and if Pittsburgh expects him to start this season, he must take a step forward. We can expect Jones and the Giants to be prepared to take on this Steelers’ secondary come Week 8.
2. Atlanta Falcons
Falcons’ 2020 first-round pick A.J. Terrell has not had a breakout season in the league. He is coming off a 2023 campaign where he had 34 solo tackles, 11 passes defended, and did not have an interception. Terrell now enters his fifth professional season, and Atlanta hopes this will be the year he finally turns it around.
The Falcons can expect second-year Clark Phillips III to start opposite Terrell this season, but he still needs to exceed expectations. Phillips is still unproven as he enters his second year in the NFL after having 22 solo tackles and five passes defended in 11 games last season. The Falcons will have Jessie Bates III and DeMarcco Hellams at the safety position.
Hellams is also coming off his rookie campaign, where he had 25 solo tackles and did not do much else, but Bates on the other hand could mentor him. The veteran safety will be the spark for this Falcons’ secondary. The two-time Second-Team All-Pro enters his seventh year in the league and second with Atlanta after spending five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bates is also coming off a decent 2023 campaign, where he had 89 solo tackles, three forced fumbles, six interceptions, and 11 passes defended. Bates has succeeded with the Falcons and will look to replicate that performance again. But, it won’t be enough to stop the Giants’ offense. Danny Dimes will look to dominate Atlanta’s inexperienced secondary.
1. Indianapolis Colts
The Giants offense will be prepared to take down the Indianapolis Colts at home come Week 17. The Colts offense has improved significantly, as the team has developed a promising young core around quarterback Anthony Richardson. Still, the defense may be the nail in the coffin that prevents this team from going the extra mile, specifically Indy’s secondary.
The Colts’ starting cornerbacks are JuJu Brents and Kenny Moore II. Moore is the player to watch as the veteran has led the Colts’ secondary in many categories for several seasons. The Pro Bowl cornerback enters his eighth season with the Colts. While Brents is coming off a decent rookie campaign, the 2023 second-round pick still has more to prove.
The Colts starting safeties are Julian Blackmon and Nick Cross. All Indianapolis’ starting secondary players are homegrown and were drafted by the team. While this could be viewed as a positive, it may end up hurting the team. The Colts have yet to have a top-rated defense in the NFL and did not take action to improve at all in their secondary. Last season,the Colts finished fourth in opponent points per game with 24.4 and total points at 415. We can expect Big Blue’s offense, led by No. 8, to take care of business against this group.
