The path for the New York Giants has never been an easy one. However, it is the road less traveled that has often been most successful for the franchise, just when seemingly everyone counts them out. They are the underdogs again, but with Brian Daboll manning the sidelines, they cannot be counted out.

The Giants are gearing up for a major showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles this Saturday in a Divisional Round matchup. Daboll is a big reason why. He has again taken what pundits considered a “project” in Daniel Jones and squeezed every ounce of production out of him, according to Dov Kleiman. He did the same with Josh Allen during his tenure as offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, and everyone knows how that story has been shaping up. The “Daboll Effect” is hard to ignore.

Call him a guru, QB whisperer or simply the 2022-23 NFL Coach of the Year, Daboll has quickly gotten the Giants on the right track after years of futility. His ability to develop signal-callers, in particular, speaks for itself on the stat sheets. Allen had more interceptions than touchdowns and converted on just 53 percent of his passes in his rookie season. He threw for 37 touchdowns to go with a deadly accurate 69 completion percentage in Daboll's second year in Buffalo in 2020.

Daniel Jones was considered a much more arduous undertaking, though. He had three years of turnover-ridden football under his belt before Brian Daboll came into the Meadowlands this season to see just how potent his powers really were. Jones had a league-high 65 interceptions and fumbles before his arrival. He had 22 total touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2022-23, despite playing with one of the most injury-ravaged wide receiving corps in football.

Jones had a career-defining performance against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round last week. It will now be Daboll's job to use that confidence as fuel against an imposing Eagles pass-rush. It may take the first-year head coach's most ingenious game plan yet.

There is maybe no one as qualified or well-equipped to handle such a mission, though.