The old saw is that starting 0-2 in the NFL is basically a death knell to a team’s playoff hopes. Only 30 of 230 teams (13 percent) start 0-2 have made the playoffs since 1990. So, yes, the Giants would be well-advised to win a game either today against the Dallas Cowboys or next Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills.
The other reason, though, is the whole Eli Manning-Daniel Jones dynamic. A pair of season-opening losses will crank up the decibel level on the whole “when does Jones play” debate. Shoot, a loss on Sunday to Dallas might do that.