The New York Giants are entering the 2026 season with a completely different mindset under head coach John Harbaugh. After years of inconsistency, the organization is no longer approaching the season simply hoping that things will improve.
Chris Mara recently raised the expectations around the team, saying the Giants have seen enough from Harbaugh and his players during training camp and the preseason to believe they can win immediately.
That may sound like an aggressive standard for a team with a new head coach, a new coaching staff and a new-look roster. Harbaugh, however, does not believe the expectations are too high. Instead, he fully embraces them.
John Harbaugh expects Giants to win
John Harbaugh was asked whether the expectations set by Chris Mara were too lofty for a new program entering Week 1 or whether he welcomed them. His answer was unequivocal.
“Yeah, I get it from the standpoint of expectations, but of course we expect to win. How do you go out there and compete at this level if you don’t expect to win? If you don’t expect to win, you certainly aren’t going to.”
The Giants are not going into the season believing they need to wait several years before they can compete. Harbaugh wants his players to approach every game believing they have a legitimate chance to win. That mentality starts immediately.
Giants will play to win every game
John Harbaugh went even further, making it clear that the expectations surrounding the Giants are not limited to the season opener or a particular stretch of the schedule.
“I’ve said this before. We expect to and we plan to and we’ll be playing to win every single one of our games this year. That’s our expectation. That’s our plan. That’s what we’ll be striving for. We think we can. We believe we can wholeheartedly.”
That confidence will be tested immediately when the Giants open the season against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. With Jaxson Dart taking over as the starting quarterback, Malik Nabers’ status still being monitored and Harbaugh implementing his vision, New York has plenty of questions to answer.
