What if Winds of Winter only comes out if the Giants win the Super Bowl?

George R.R. Martin enjoys three things. Game of Thrones House of the DragonIt is not about finishing Winter WindsThe National Football League. Specifically, he is a die-hard fan of New York’s teams, the Jets and the Giants. It could be said that he loves lost causes.

As Martin and football are two things I often think about, and as he is wont to (and as he will; the writer will often bring up A Song of Ice and Fire within the same blog post), it got me thinking: Could they be more closely related?

At the time this is being written, the NFL playoffs are underway, and the New York Giants have made more than an appearance, winning last week’s wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings and moving on to face the top-ranked Philadelphia Eagles (go birds) in the divisional round.

New York football playoff wins don’t happen that often. You know what else doesn’t happen that often? A Song of Ice and Fire: A brand new book. My data suggest that this might not have been a coincident.

[Ed. note: All stats are from Pro Football Reference, both for the Giants and the Jets.]

Martin started writing in 2014, according to a Rolling Stone interview. A Game of Thrones in 1991 — a year that started with the Giants winning the Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills. Five more years would pass before the book could be printed. The Giants did make a brief appearance during the Jets playoffs in January 1994. Also made a rare playoffs appearance in the wild card round in ’91, so there was a lot of wind in Martin’s sails.

Electronic Arts

The Clash of KingsIn 1999 the U.S. published the article. The Jets also made the playoffs in 1999. (A long-running theme in NFL has been that the Jets are god-awful and even more terrible than the Giants so this was Big Deal). November 2000 Storm of Swords was published in the U.S., doesn’t It seems It was remarkable news for New York football. However, the Giants went on a fantastic playoff run in that season. They reached the Super Bowl against Baltimore Ravens in January 2001. They were beaten that time. It’s kind of ironic. Storm of Swords’ Themes general.)

Martin’s reputation of never publishing new ASOIAF books on time is attained. The Feast of Crows wouldn’t see the light of day until fall 2005, a four-year stretch where New York’s NFL playoff record was a bit fallow, rarely rising above the initial wild card round — but the Jets didThat was enough to see you lose the division round against Pittsburgh Steelers, in January 2005.

This is where things get weird. The Giants again win the Super Bowl in 2008.Dance With Dragons does not arrive until 2011 — a truly remarkable year for New York football. The Jets, for the second year in a row, had their best playoff showing since 1998, and the Giants began their march to winning the Super Bowl in early 2012 — a 12-month period of ecstasy for New York football, and ASOIAF fans.

As fuel for writing, it makes sense that an incredible football year would accompany getting a complicated book out the door — Martin, in the foreword to Dance with Dragons, called the book “a bitch and a half” to get done.

Polygon

This brings us to today, with the possibility of a 12-year-long gap. DragonsThe future Winter Winds isn’t entirely Martin’s fault. Both of New York’s football teams have, to use a technical term, sucked shit over the last decade. But there’s finally hope again. The Giants are in the playoffs, and they’ve already won one game.

But it’s not like the New York Giants have an It’s easyTime ahead for them. There are three more rounds left in the playoffs, including this Saturday’s showdown against a Thank you A good Eagles team (over a touchdown in the matchup against Giants) They will then face either the San Francisco 49ers, or the Dallas Cowboys if they win that game. Both teams have better records than the Eagles and are more likely to make it to the Super Bowl. Finally, the Big Game, where the Giants will be underdog regardless of which other team (the Bengals Bills Jaguars Jaguars or Chiefs), they face.

ASOIAF supporters and Giants fan alike have reason to believe that there is always hope. It’s huge that Martin got past the wildcard round last week. I believe Martin will be inspired to soon announce a publication date. They win the Super Bowl. We might even see Winter WindsThis year.

You can also watch the Giants take on the Eagles Jan. 21 at 8.15 pm EST. If the Giants advance to the Super Bowl, it will begin at 6:30 EST.