Odell Beckham Jr. likes to call it checking the boxes. Reaching the playoffs wasn’t the ultimate goal for the New York Giants this season, but it did accomplish something.
It was a step along the way that needed to be reached. There is no Super Bowl without the playoffs, just as there are no playoffs without a winning record. It's learning to walk before being able to run.
The Giants made progress this past season. After three straight awful campaigns they went 11-5 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five years.