The NFL schedule makers don’t count on a lot from the 2025 Giants.
They buried Commanders high 5 MVP candidate Jayden Daniels in a 1 p.m. ET time slot in Week 1 coming off an NFC Championship Sport look in his rookie yr as a result of he’s enjoying the Giants. Washington is sort of a full landing favourite over New York.
And the league saved the Giants’ Week 1 go to to Dallas within the crowded early Sunday window, too, understanding that the Giants had been 0-6 within the NFC East final season and haven’t overwhelmed the Cowboys in Arlington, Tex., since 2016.
However Dallas’ commerce of star move rusher Micah Parsons to the Inexperienced Bay Packers all of a sudden has solid this early Giants schedule in a brand new gentle, as a chance with a possible reward on the opposite facet:
Relevance.
That’s one thing the Giants haven’t had since 2022. They’ll earn it by upsetting Daniels, one of many NFL’s new younger stars, instantly in Week 1.
Daniels not enjoying in prime time to open the season is basically one thing, contemplating he and the Commanders as primetime darlings for the NFL’s schedule makers this season after destroying the No. 1 seeded Detroit Lions on the highway in final January’s playoffs.
Washington is peppered into all of soccer’s highest profile TV home windows this season: twice on Monday Night time Soccer in October alone, twice on Sunday Night time Soccer, as soon as on Thursday Night time Soccer in Week 2, as soon as on a December Saturday evening and once more on a Sunday morning from Spain.
In Week 1, nevertheless, Washington and Daniels are submarined into the 1 p.m. ET window as a result of they’ve drawn the Giants, who’re coming off a 3-14 season, have a head coach and GM on the recent seat and are slated for less than three prime time video games all yr.
Though FOX has positioned its lead broadcast crew of Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady on Daniels’ first sport to acknowledge some intrigue, the sport just isn’t being handled severely as a big-time draw on the NFL’s Week 1 marquee.
The Commanders are the one one of many final yr’s last 4 groups not in prime time on opening weekend: the reigning Tremendous Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, reigning AFC Champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Buffalo Payments are all enjoying evening video games.
Washington can be the one considered one of final yr’s last eight groups within the 1 p.m. ET window: the Detroit Lions, L.A. Rams and Houston Texans are all propped up into 4:25 p.m. ET begins.
From the Giants’ perspective, although, it doesn’t matter what time they play this sport. What issues is successful it.
As a result of that received’t simply upset the league’s predicted order of issues within the NFC East. It would additionally generate authentic pleasure for the reason that Cowboys simply obtained worse.
Buying Inexperienced Bay defensive sort out Kenny Clark and two first-round picks doesn’t negate transport one of many NFL’s most harmful move rushers out of city.
What the Giants desperately want to enhance is their means to attain factors on offense. Parsons’ absence shouDallas elp that.
On the very least, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka doesn’t must sport plan round Parsons all the afternoon.
And what this implies is whereas the reigning Tremendous Bowl champion Eagles return to the NFC East, this division seems to be rather a lot much less predictable than it did even per week in the past.
Washington has a Week 2 Thursday Night time Soccer highway journey to face Parsons and the Packers after internet hosting the Giants within the opener.
The Cowboys in all probability are going to be limping into their house opener towards the Giants with an 0-1 file after taking over the Eagles within the NFL’s season opener this Thursday Night time at Phillly’s Lincoln Monetary Area. And Dallas has a rookie head coach in Brian Schottenheimer.
No, the NFL’s schedule makers don’t have excessive expectations for the Giants in these video games. They’re so low, they’re holding Daniels out of prime time within the league’s grand return to the nationwide highlight after Labor Day.
Then they’re working the Giants again within the 1 p.m. slot at Dallas in a ‘let’s get this over with’ form of billing.
However the Giants have each alternative to announce themselves as actual gamers of their division instantly.
Beating Daniels will make everybody concentrate. And Parsons’ commerce out of Dallas means the Giants possibly, simply possibly, can upset the NFC East’s order early and switch this season on its head.
