Tiki Barber has heard some of the sentiment from Giants fans, and even some NFL analysts, that Big Blue is now “playing with house money” as they begin their postseason on Sunday.
Sure, nobody expected New York to be in this spot, as the Giants were one of the biggest surprises of the season under first-year head coach Brian Daboll. But Tiki says the team has now shown who it is through 17 games, and it’s not a plucky underdog story anymore. The Giants can make serious playoff noise, starting on Sunday in Minnesota.
“They’re now in the second season, which is the postseason,” Tiki said. “They play close games, they play smart football, they’re one of the best coached teams in the National Football League. So stop the house money nonsense with this New York Giants team.
“I'm not saying this as an ardent fan. This Giants team can go to the NFC Championship game, and it's not beyond this, it shouldn't be beyond the stretch of your imagination, that they can beat the Minnesota Vikings and likely play the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, unless the somehow Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers, which I don't believe happened is going to happen.”
The Giants nearly won in Minnesota on Christmas Eve, and now, healthier and brimming with confidence, Tiki says fans shouldn’t be happy with giving the Vikings a battle. The outcome matters. Expectations have changed. And the expectations for the Giants, in Tiki’s eyes, are that an NFC Championship appearance isn’t out of the question.
“This Giants team is not the Giants team that started the year where the expectation was so miniscule that all you could say was ‘let's just get five wins, let's just get four wins,’” Tiki said. “This team won nine games. They are not a cute story. They are a playoff team. So stop saying they've already accomplished their goal and they don't have any pressure going into this postseason or that they're playing with house money.
“I hate that term because once you're here, you're here, and anything can happen.”
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