John Mara expects Giants to win more games in 2021: 'We're all on the hot seat with our fans'

The Giants co-owner expects his team to end its long playoff drought

The New York Giants haven't made the playoffs in five years, and just once over the last nine seasons. The franchise hasn't experienced such a long stretch of futility since missing the playoffs for 17 consecutive years from 1964 to 1981. 

Ginats co-owner John Mara is hoping that changes this season, as New York was active in free agency after falling one game short of the NFC East title in 2020. 

"How do you define a rebuild? I expect to win more games than we did last year. Hopefully we're going to be a playoff team this year, so you can call it anything you want," Mara said to Giants reporters Tuesday, via SNY's Ralph Vacchio. "I just want to feel like, after the last game, all right, what we have here is a team that can win a Super Bowl."

The Giants have 18 wins since the start of the 2017 season, tied with the New York Jets for the fewest in the NFL. The Giants have been outscored by 372 points, the fourth-highest total in the league during that span. 

There is hope for the Giants after they went 6-10 in Joe Judge's first season as head coach. Despite the mere two-game improvement in the win column, the six wins are the Giants' most since they finished 11-5 in 2016. They also improved from the 30th ranked defense in points allowed to ninth, fielding a competitive roster despite ranking 31st in points scored and total yards. 

New York went on a spending spree this offseason to improve the offense, signing wide receiver Kenny Golladay to a four-year, $72 million deal and tight end Kyle Rudolph to a two-year, $12 million deal. The Giants also have Saquon Barkley returning from a torn ACL that limited him to two games last season, a major boost to an offense that includes Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram. 

In a wide-open NFC East where last year's champion finished 7-9, no wonder Mara thinks the Giants can make the playoffs. The pressure is on in New York. 

"We're all on the hot seat with our fans," Mara said. "We've given them too many losing seasons."

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