Before the 2022 NFL season, the New York Giants looked to be in one of the worst situations around the league. After firing their general manager and their third head coach in five seasons, the team looked to be in serious rebuild mode.

A depleted roster and no cap space made it an extreme challenge for new GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. Both men were brought from the Buffalo Bills organization, Schoen as assistant GM and Daboll as offensive coordinator, to pave the way for this rebuild. Fast forward to week five of the 2022 NFL season, the Giants seem to be the biggest surprise in the league.

A trip to London to battle last year’s NFC number one seeded Green Bay Packers was where everyone predicted the Giants early season success to end.

The Giants were eight point underdogs even though both teams sat at 3-1. The Giants came in decimated throughout their roster, most notably at the wide receiver position where their top four receivers on the initial depth chart set to miss the London game. Injuries to important defensive players and a Green Bay Packers offense led by back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers made it seem like the Packers would have no problems.

Early on in the game, the game seeming to be trending in that direction with the Packers leading in the first half 17-3 and the Giants really struggling on offense. A late touchdown made it 20-10 Packers at the half, but it still seemed fairly one sided. The Giants came out strong in the second half, as they have all season, and made it a game quickly.

The defense showed up even with starting cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Fabian Moreau both going down with injuries. Reserve corners Justin Layne and Nick McCloud who were not expected to play any defensive snaps at all were forced into these big roles, and Rodgers tried to take advantage of this. The two young corners held their own as Rodgers only went 7-15 for 76 yards in the second half.

Daniel Jones started making plays through the air and on the ground as he has done all season. Star running back Saquon Barkley exited the game only for Jones to lead a 91 yard drive that ended in Gary Brightwell’s first career touchdown and a tied 20-20 score.

Barkley was able to return on the next drive and scored the go-ahead rushing score with six minutes left. The Giants defense held up for the rest of the game and a strategic safety led to a 27-22 Giants victory.

During the celebration after the win, you could see genuine happiness and excitement from all of the players, staff, and coaches. This was a tough battle and hard-earned win against a legendary quarterback where the Giants were not given a shot. As the Giants look ahead, they sit in the playoff picture at 4-1 but in a wildcard spot due to the strong start by the 5-0 Eagles and 4-1 Cowboys. The Giants have to play the Eagles twice and the Cowboys in Dallas in Thanksgiving, but the rest of the schedule is not too difficult and gives the Giants and their fans real hopes they return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.