The Giants will open the season against a divisional opponent.
John Schmeelk: Fiction – You can count this as wish-casting. I despise first weekend divisional games. I don't think divisional games should be played until October. Let teams learn who they are before you unleash them on their divisional foes. Math is also on my side here, with only six divisional games versus 11 non-divisional games. For fun, I'll give you two possibilities here. First, my preferred Week 1 matchup would be either the Browns or Cardinals. You start the John Harbaugh era at home, where you have nine games this year, giving the fans something to cheer about to start the year. I do think the Browns still have an excellent defense, so I would lean towards the Cardinals. I predict the Giants will play on the road against the Houston Texans in primetime as part of that Monday night doubleheader to begin the season.
Dan Salomone: Fact – The Giants have not opened the season against the Cowboys since 2023, which feels like an eternity in the history of the rivalry. They went through a streak of opening against each other in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2023. Meanwhile, John Harbaugh has set his sights on the NFC East. The Giants need to be more competitive in the division, and what a way to kick off the new era against Dallas.
Matt Citak: Fiction – I think there's a good chance the Giants open the season at MetLife Stadium against the Cowboys, but for the sake of differing from Dan, I'm going to go in a different direction. I still believe the Giants will begin the season at home, but instead of facing off against a familiar divisional foe, how about opening the season against a familiar face? Maybe a former head coach of theirs? It would make for some NFL storylines to have Brian Daboll, now the offensive coordinator for the Titans, begin the new season against his old team. On top of that, Robert Saleh, Tennessee's head coach, would be returning to his old home stadium. Then add in the fact that Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward, the first two QBs selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, both showed encouraging signs in their respective rookie campaigns, and this has all the makings of an incredibly entertaining season opener.
The Seahawks will be the toughest opponent on the Giants' road schedule.
John Schmeelk: Fact – Can we first marvel at how difficult the Giants' road schedule is? Aside from the three divisional games, three of the road games are against playoff teams last year (Texans, Rams, Seahawks) with the remaining two the Super Bowl-contending Lions and a Colts team that started the season 7-1 before Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. The answer to the actual statement is either the Seahawks or Rams, but I'll go with the Super Bowl champion since they beat the Rams last year.
Dan Salomone: Fact – They are the king of the mountain until someone throws them off. This game will have added intrigue with Mike Macdonald having served for a long time under John Harbaugh (Ravens) and his brother Jim (Michigan).
Matt Citak: Fact – The other NFC West opponent on the Giants' road schedule, the Los Angeles Rams, made me think about this one for a minute. But it would be difficult to build an argument against the Seahawks being the toughest road game for Big Blue this season considering they are the reigning Super Bowl champions. Add in the fact that Lumen Field is one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and this is the easy choice (despite the fact that the Giants have won two of their last three contests in Seattle).