The New York Giants came into their home opener as a three-point underdog to the Dallas Cowboys and left a 28-20 winner over their NFC East rivals. While the final score may have been only a possession apart, the game never seemed that close. The G-Men diminished their rivals with a tough and physical game on both sides of the ball, and may be giving the lion's share of the credit for that to new head coach John Harbaugh, who is already getting NFL Coach of the Year buzz.
In fact, Harbaugh is now the favorite at +500 for Coach of the Year, per BetOnline. However, it is still incredibly early, and right behind him are the Baltimore Ravens' Jesse Minter (+700), the Chicago Bears' Ben Johnson (+1000), the New Orleans Saints' Kellen Moore (+1400), the Las Vegas Raiders' Klint Kubiak (+1600), and the Buffalo Bills' Joe Brady (+1800).
Article Continues BelowMoore is the only one of those coaches who did not get the win in Week 1. The Saints' incredible comeback against the Detroit Lions fell short in overtime when they failed to convert their two-point conversion.
Since there are 16 more weeks to play before the NFL Coach of the Year is decided, there are several names from off the board who could build on their Week 1 showings and get into this mix as well. Arizona Cardinals first-time head coach Mike LaFleur is a name worth watching after they upset the Los Angeles Chargers, and both the New York Jets' Aarn Glenn and Jacksonville Jaguars Liam Coen got nice wins in Week 1 despite playing two of the worst teams in the league.