Daboll, Barkley have Giants looming large for a postseason spot

All is well for Big Blue. Sitting pretty at 4-1, the New York Football Giants are off to their best start since 2009 and just matched their entire season win total from 2021.

It all starts with first-year head coach Brian Daboll. The former Bills offensive coordinator is seen as the common man - a players' coach who demands excellence while treating his guys with respect and dignity.

A few months after he was hired, I polled numerous Giants players on the new boss. Their endorsement was consistent: Things are different. Things are better. We can win with this guy.

Still not convinced? The Giants have already beaten both of 2021's top playoff seeds, the Titans and the Packers. New York trailed Green Bay 17-3 in Week 5 before pulling out the win.

It's a feat made even more impressive considering the key injuries they've already had to overcome. Rookie first-rounder Kayvon Thibodeaux, promising second-year defensive end Azeez Ojulari, starting cornerback Adoree' Jackson, and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Leonard Williams make up the list. Moreover, wide receiver Sterling Shepard's torn ACL, rookie WR Wan'Dale Robinson's bothersome knee, and Kadarius Toney's hamstring have further limited an already unknown wide receiver room.

In the 20-12 Week 4 win over the Bears, quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor were both injured, forcing Daboll to diagram plays on the sideline for running back Saquon Barkley, who took direct snaps until Jones returned.

Barkley, to be sure, is the key to everything. Few players are more important to their team's success than No. 26, and few have delivered more in 2022.

Barkley has been unstoppable, showcasing the otherworldly explosiveness, cutting, and playmaking that helped him win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2019. His 533 rushing yards trail only the Browns' Nick Chubb (593), and Barkley ranks in the top 10 in both yards per carry and touchdowns. Overall, he's on pace for nearly 2,300 yards from scrimmage, which would be a top-12 mark in the history of the NFL for a running back.

"I feel like I can do whatever I want on the field with this group of guys," Barkley told FOX's Laura Okmin after the Giants stunned the Packers in London.

Not bad for someone who's missed 18 games over the last two seasons with knee and ankle injuries. Not bad, either, for Daboll's G-Men, who appear on track for their first postseason berth since 2016. The New York Times has the Giants' playoff probability at 68%, and FiveThirtyEight's model places their odds at 58%. Football Outsiders is skeptical, giving the Giants - who still have a Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas and two meetings with the undefeated Eagles left - a 42% chance.

4th-and-really?

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley had one of the strangest late-game coaching gaffes you'll ever see. Faced with fourth-and-2 at their own 45-yard line with a 30-28 lead and 1:14 left, Staley decided to go for it and put the game away.

An errant Justin Herbert pass turned the ball over on downs and put Cleveland just a few yards away from field-goal range. Staley was bailed out when Browns kicker Cade York missed a 54-yard field goal with 16 seconds left.

Staley's reputation for fourth-down aggressiveness is well-known. The Chargers were fourth in 2021 in both fourth-down attempts (34) and success rate (64.7%). They're tied for fourth this season (11), although the success rate is down to 45.5%.

"He's ultra-aggressive, and players like that," an NFL executive told me. "But he's often aggressive to a fault."

Miles ahead

We all know the Eagles are the game's lone undefeated team and that quarterback Jalen Hurts is playing at an MVP-caliber level. Did you know, though, that Miles Sanders is the league's third-leading rusher? Showcasing the dynamic skill set that made him a second-round pick in 2019, Sanders, who's still just 25, has become a legit three-down back in Philadelphia.

"He was always a talented guy," an assistant general manager told me. "Fast, quick, elusive, powerful - special mix of traits. Right now, he's healthy, and running behind a great (offensive) line and the quarterback gives defenses so much to think about."

In a soggy Week 4 victory over the Jaguars, the former Penn State star - who actually backed up Barkley at one point - set career highs in carries (27) and rushing yards (134) while tying a career-best two touchdowns.

"Whenever they call my number, I'm going to be ready, regardless," he told reporters after the game.

Remember, too, that Sanders said the 2022 campaign was "a little personal" and that he was hoping to "gain the respect that (he) finally (deserves)."

Star turn

The Arizona Cardinals have endured a sluggish start, but don't blame Hollywood Brown.

After being traded from the Ravens on draft night and re-joining his Oklahoma buddy Kyler Murray, all Marquise Brown has done is rank second in targets (55), fourth in catches (38), and sixth in receiving yards (417). With perennial All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins set to make his season debut in Week 7, the 2-3 Cardinals should have one of the most dangerous wide receiver duos in football.

"Brown's gotten better there," the assistant GM I spoke with earlier said. "He's consistently beating one-on-one coverage, and now he's at the point where you're forced to game-plan for him every week. That's the mark of a really good player."

Rough decisions

NFL Twitter almost broke after Falcons DT Grady Jarrett was flagged for a bogus roughing-the-passer call on Tom Brady. It went apoplectic Monday night after Chiefs tackle Chris Jones quite literally became the first player in history to be flagged for roughing the passer while holding onto the football. This appears to be a league-wide reaction following Tua Tagovailoa's concussion.

It's good business to protect your best and most important players; there are 15 quarterbacks making at least $20 million this season. The NFL's competition committee has a meeting this week to address the problem, but I was surprised to learn that officials are actually calling roughing the passer less this season - a rate of 0.18 times per game.

But when the fans - and the players, for that matter - genuinely don't trust the interpretation of the rule book, then we have a significant issue. To that point, I liked Jones' comments following Kansas City's 30-29 MNF win, which included a call for the league to deploy a booth review for roughing the passer.

"Now it's getting absurd," Jones told reporters. "Now it's costing teams games."

Maximum Jimmy G

Don't look now, but the 49ers have won two of Jimmy Garoppolo's three starts, including outscoring the Rams and Panthers by an impressive 61-24 margin. As expected, Garoppolo has done enough to win. He's not spectacular, but he's solid: 857 yards, five touchdown passes, and one interception - not to mention a decent 97.8 passer rating. Make no mistake, this is Kyle Shanahan's recipe for success: Play great defense, don't turn the ball over, and keep running that football.

Jordan Schultz is theScore's NFL insider and senior NBA reporter. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.