Photo via New York Post

Giants happy to play the underdog role and keep on defying the odds

Read the original at New York Post ↗
Cite

Schwartz, P. (2026, October 17). Giants happy to play the underdog role and keep on defying the odds. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/17/sports/giants-happy-to-play-the-underdog-role-sportsbooks-keep-putting-them-in/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-18 · by Paul Schwartz

Quick Summary

The New York Giants are currently leading the NFC East at 3-1-1 despite being underdogs in many of their games this season, including an upcoming home game against the Saints on Sunday. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson emphasized that the team thrives on playing with a chip on its shoulder and embraces the underdog status. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy saw limited action last week but may continue to be used as a change-of-pace option for unpredictable moments in games, according to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 17, 2026, the New York Giants are playing as underdogs in their upcoming home game against the Saints despite being tied for first place in the NFC East with a record of 3-1-1. The Giants have only been favored in one game this season, and they continue to defy expectations after hiring head coach John Harbaugh. For Sunday's matchup, the Saints, currently at 1-4, are slight favorites by 1.5 points. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson expressed his team's enthusiasm for playing with a chip on their shoulder as underdogs, noting that the Giants have been successful against the spread this season with a record of 4-1.

Written for “Giants Defy Odds” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Giants Defy Odds
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses a specific game event involving the Giants and Commanders where John Harbaugh's decision led to an overtime tie, while Article B is about the overall performance and standing of the Giants team.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the Giants' performance and situation over time rather than a single specific event.”
Fox News
Hedges 4 of 82 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles cover different time periods and contexts within the Giants' season, not the same specific game or incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different stages of the Giants' season; Article A discusses expectations before their game against the Saints, while Article B covers the actual loss in Week 6.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different stages of the Giants' season and different decisions regarding their quarterback. Article A discusses expectations for the upcoming game against the Saints, while Article B talks about a decision made after losing to the Saints.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles refer to different events in time - one discusses the Giants' overall performance and standing, while the other reports on a decision regarding the starting quarterback for an upcoming game against Houston.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 39 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes a specific game where the Giants tied against Washington due to turnovers, while Article B discusses broader expectations and standings for the team.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses John Harbaugh's reaction after a recent game, while Article B focuses on the Giants' performance and role as underdogs throughout the season.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses the Giants' season performance and expectations before their game against the Saints, while Article B covers a specific loss to the Saints that occurred after the date mentioned in Article A.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16741 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Paul Schwartz
51 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Halloween will have come and gone by the time the Giants hit the field again.
🔮 This was a top-level outing for the offensive line and especially the two ailing tackles, Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, who did yeoman work against gifted edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.
🔮 This week, the coaching staff told Deonte Banks that he would be following Nico Collins, the Texans’ top wide receiver, all over the field.
🔮 It is definitely possible that the addition of J.J. McCarthy in the starting lineup will help the Giants get back to the business of running the ball at an acceptable rate, perhaps as soon as Sunday against the Texans.
🔮 There was an expectation Holland would be able to clear the protocol and make it back for this game, as he was able to get on the field and practice on a limited basis Thursday and Friday.
🔮 The Giants had been 3-0 at MetLife Stadium but could not get to 4-0 at home for the first time since 2008.
🔮 The Saints could not run the ball, nor could they stop the run.
🔮 Just because they wanted to do it and were determined to establish that this would be their identity did not make it so.
🔮 Even though the Giants hired John Harbaugh, there were not many great expectations for how they would fare this season from outside the building.
🔮 The thinking is the trailing team will need 15 points to win the game, so go for two after the first touchdown and if you do not get it, go for two after the second touchdown.
Also by Paul Schwartz
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 51 articles by Paul Schwartz →

Topics

Commanders Giants New Orleans Saints Titans

Subjects

Giants ORG · 7× Commanders ORG · 2× Mbow PERSON · 2× Saints ORG · 2× Dennard Wilson PERSON · 1× John Harbaugh PERSON · 1× New Orleans GPE · 1× Paul Schwartz PERSON · 1× Titans ORG · 1× Wilson PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Indeed, the Giants thus far have been favored in only one game — Week 3 vs. the Titans — even though they defy the odds on a near-weekly basis and at 3-1-1 are alone in first place in the NFC East heading into Sunday’s home game with the Saints.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 Even though the Giants hired John Harbaugh, there were not many great expectations for how they would fare this season from outside the building.
2026-10-18 · New York Post
Giants happy to play the underdog role and keep on defying the odds · assertive framing

Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)

Even though the Giants hired John Harbaugh, there were not many great expectations for how they would fare this season from outside the building. asserted
they → hire → building
Indeed, the Giants thus far have been favored in only one game — Week 3 vs. the Titans — even though they defy the odds on a near-weekly basis and at 3-1-1 are alone in first place in the NFC East heading into Sunday’s home game with the Saints. asserted
they → favor → Saints
tRY IT NOWThe Saints are 1-4, with three consecutive losses in New Orleans, and yet the Giants are a 1.5-point underdog. asserted
Giants → try → Orleans
“They have a very good offensive team and we’ll be challenged by this offense, but our guys are up to the task and we love playing at MetLife Stadium and being underdogs,’’ defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said. asserted
Wilson → have → Stadium
“Everybody counts us out,’’ Wilson said. asserted
Wilson → count → us
“We like playing with a chip on our shoulder. asserted
We → play → shoulder
That’s what it is.’’ asserted
it → ’ → ?
The Giants were also underdogs at home to the bottom-dwelling Cardinals. asserted
Giants → dwell → Cardinals
If Malik Nabers gets at least four receptions, he will surpass Puka Nacua for the second-most receptions in his first 25 games in NFL history. asserted
he → get → history
Nacua had 159 catches in his first 25 games. asserted
Nacua → have → games
Nabers has 156 in his first 24 games. asserted
Nabers → have → games
Only Odell Beckham Jr. (176) had more receptions in his first 25 games. asserted
Jr. → have → games
Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) is listed as questionable. asserted
Eluemunor → list → ?
He has not missed a game this season at right tackle but he was forced out last week after 44 snaps, giving way to Marcus Mbow to play the last 45 snaps on offense in the 27-27 tie with the Commanders. asserted
he → miss → Commanders
Mbow, a 2025 fifth-round pick out of Purdue, started three games as a rookie (one at left tackle, two at right tackle) and worked with the starters this past week, which will be beneficial if he has to again sub in for Eluemunor. asserted
he → start → Eluemunor
“It’s a lot more helpful because you’re getting those reps during the week,’’ Mbow told The Post. asserted
Mbow → ’ → Post
“You’re seeing the plays we’re going to be running and getting to go through them and having less hesitation. asserted
we → see → hesitation
There’s definitely a lot more beneficial in situations like that, but I understand how it goes.’’ asserted
it → ’ → that
He got in for five snaps as what offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called “a change of pace’’ look for the opposing defense. asserted
Nagy → get → defense
McCarthy ran the ball twice for negligible returns [2 yards] and threw two passes that were wiped out by penalties. asserted
that → run → penalties
It sounds as if this specialized package is here to stay. asserted
package → sound → ?
“We can’t be predictable with it when we use him and when we’re going to do it, but he needs to stay with it,’’ Nagy said. asserted
Nagy → use → it
The Giants usually activate three tight ends. asserted
Giants → activate → ends
Fidone played 16 special teams snaps last week vs. the Commanders. asserted
Fidone → play → Commanders
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support