Windy City Gridiron has learned that if the NFL went a different direction and didn’t select the Patriots for that game, they would have selected the New York Giants. The NFL believes the Giants are a team on the rise, and with John Harbaugh coaching his first game in New York, the NFL felt that that would have been the best option after the Patriots.
In the end, the NFL decided to have the Patriots be the choice and have the Giants open at home on Sunday Night Football. That Sunday is September 13th, just two days after the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11, and the NFL felt it was best to have the Giants play at home to open the season to honor that anniversary.