The Giants went 0-6 within the NFC East final season. They’re 0-2 towards Commanders MVP candidate Jayden Daniels. And so they’ve misplaced 15 of their final 16 video games towards the Cowboys, together with their final eight conferences.
However Washington and Dallas each could possibly be weak to Giants highway upsets in Weeks 1 and a pair of of this common season, respectively, after stubbing their toes this summer season.
Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones has ostracized star cross rusher Micah Parsons, who requested a commerce out of city throughout his holdout. And Commanders GM Adam Peters has let star receiver Terry McLaurin’s holdout and commerce request drag towards Labor Day.
On high of that, Washington simply traded bruising again Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Giants misplaced twice to the Commanders final season, as soon as with Robinson within the lineup and as soon as with out him on the sector. However he killed New York on the bottom when he confronted them, rumbling 17 instances for 133 yards in a crushing Week 2 Giants highway loss in Maryland.
Washington, who will host the Giants in a Sept. 7 season opener, could be very excessive on rookie working again Jacory Croskey-Merritt. And Deebo Samuel’s addition to the receiving corps provides them a punishing ballcarrier in the event that they want one.
However the Commanders simply traded away the participant who may need been their greatest counter to the Giants’ cross rush of Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The easiest way for Washington to neutralize the Giants’ cross rush probably will probably be to run proper at them. If Commanders coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s working again corps is extra finesse than energy, although, which may play into the Giants protection’s arms.
And that might open up extra alternatives for the Giants to pin their ears again and get after Daniels earlier than he can beat them with each his arm and legs.
Then there are the Cowboys. The Parsons drama is ugly.
There’s a probability he doesn’t play towards the Giants in that Week 2 sport. There may be even an opportunity he isn’t on the Cowboys’ roster in any respect at that time.
Plus, Dallas has a number of accidents to key gamers.
Linebacker Demarvion Overshown will probably be out whereas recovering from a late-season ACL tear, regardless of encouraging progress in rehab.
High nook Trevon Diggs may miss that sport as he continues to get well from December knee surgical procedure. And left deal with Tyler Guyton (fractured bone, sprained knee) is not any assure to go well with up towards the Giants, both.
Diggs sitting out can be an enormous deal.
High Giants receiver Malik Nabers did catch 12 passes on Diggs and Dallas’ protection in his first assembly with them as a rookie in Sept. 2024.
However Diggs restricted Nabers to 9.6 yards per catch, the Giants didn’t rating a single landing and an overworked Nabers was concussed within the fourth quarter as Diggs hounded him.
The Cowboys’ defensive coordinator is also now Matt Eberflus, the previous Chicago Bears head coach. So possibly the Giants will discover extra alternatives than they did towards the schemes of Dan Quinn in 2023 and Mike Zimmer in 2024.
Not that the Giants don’t have considerations of their very own, from the uncertainty surrounding left deal with Andrew Thomas’ foot to Nabers’ prolonged relaxation for a again ailment to Lawrence’s regular build-up towards a full workload of soccer.
They’re additionally fielding a brand new offense with a brand new quarterback in Russell Wilson and playcaller in offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. So it’s by no means straightforward to come back out of the gates on fireplace with out having to iron out some wrinkles.
Nonetheless, for all of the speak concerning the Giants’ troublesome schedule, there may be extra alternative in these early video games than there might have been.
The Giants prevented Saquon Barkley and the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles in these early weeks.
They as a substitute drew a Washington group that they might have overwhelmed in Week 2 final season if not for a nasty Nabers fourth down drop and the Giants’ mismanagement of injured kicker Graham Gano.
After which the league’s schedule makers made them the visiting group in Brian Schottenheimer’s first ever house sport as an NFL head coach in Week 2 towards the Cowboys in Arlington, Tex.
Plus, the Commanders and Cowboys seemingly have been unable to get out of their very own method currently, no less than on the enterprise aspect.
And it’s getting near the time when that enterprise goes to affect the product on the sector in September – when the Giants will probably be ready to attempt to take benefit and snatch some sudden wins.
