A Preview of the New York Giants’ 2024 Schedule

Welcome to the 100th season of New York Giants football. A commemorative uniform coupled with a specially crafted patch will help Big Blue celebrate its rich history. New York also got the green light for a unique edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks. This organization is clearly not short on fresh ideas for 2024.

However, after a 6-11 2023 season, any goodwill built through off-the-field actions will quickly dissipate if 2024 starts to resemble that nightmare. Quarterback Daniel Jones was disastrous when healthy last year, so this could be his final season with the G-Men despite his massive contract. A defense that led the NFL in takeaways has a new defensive coordinator calling the shots and a revamped front seven.

Quietly, this offseason brought in plenty of fresh faces to improve the team. Still, there were a lot of holes to fill, and Giants fans have heard that song before. At a time when the Knicks, Rangers, and Yankees are all igniting the city, the Giants can be a sobering thought.

In that locker room, the prevailing notion needs to be that 2024 is a clean slate. Here’s a look at the road the Giants will have to pave this year:

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2024 Season Opener: New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, September 8th at 1:00 PM EST (FOX)

To think that on January 15, 2023, these teams were engaged in a thrilling playoff contest. A touchdown run by a certain former running back (more on him later) gave New York a 31-24 lead, after which Kirk Cousins could not convert a fourth down for the hosting Vikings. Daniel Jones’ first playoff win netted him a nice $160 million contract.

This time around, the Minnesota Vikings may be debuting J.J. McCarthy under center, a rookie whom many believe that the Giants should’ve, or at least could’ve, drafted. Instead, New York nabbed Malik Nabers, an LSU product who should check off a lot of NFL firsts against Minnesota.

Speaking of LSU WRs, the Vikings have this guy named Justin Jefferson who is trying to earn himself a record-high contract. Giants sophomore cornerback Deonte Banks will likely get that assignment and a chance to test his mettle following a strong rookie campaign. If any one-on-one battle on the field decides this game, it may be that one.

Each of these NFC franchises is in a transition period. However, the 2024 season opener should mean more for New York. 2023’s debut on Sunday Night Football was a nightmare (stay tuned for more on that) that derailed the beginning of their season. The Giants, celebrating 100 seasons at home, know how important starting strong will be. 1-0 is on the table for this team.

Notable Games on New York’s Schedule

Week 4 vs. DAL, Week 7 vs. PHI, Week 10 @ CAR, Week 15 vs. BAL

On one hand, the Giants have winnable games on their schedule. On the other, a team that was weak a year ago was not given much help by the schedule makers this season. Here are the highlights of their season, whether because of the story or the potential statement that the team can make.

Week 4 vs Dallas Cowboys (Thur. September 26, 8:15 PM EST, PRIME)

New York’s first primetime matchup in 2024 is against the same foe as 2023’s. The Dallas Cowboys are the team that pummeled the Giants 40-0 in Week 1 last season. Believe it or not, Big Blue was cutting through Dallas’ defense like butter before miscues, injuries, and a blocked field goal killed all of their offensive momentum for two months.

Besides that shot at redemption, the Cowboys have owned the Giants lately. Every head-to-head matchup, especially at home, presents a new opportunity to reset the rivalry. Dallas is always a big draw, and these teams don’t like each other even if the outcome of most games is the same, as the hatred among NFC East teams runs deep no matter which pair you’re talking about.

It’ll be early in the season, but if New York wants to build a foundation in 2024, winning this game will signal to the world that they mean business. A Thursday night statement is at stake in this one.

Week 7 vs Philadelphia Eagles (Sun. October 20, 1:00 PM EST, FOX)

Saquon Barkley better get used to hearing “Snaquon” ahead of this game. There are two teams that Barkley could’ve left New York for and made himself a villain. He chose one of them: the Philadelphia Eagles, the other being the aforementioned Cowboys. So, his return to MetLife Stadium will be circled on almost every New Yorker’s calendar.

An underrated subplot for this game is that Philadelphia’s late 2023 collapse arguably reached its nadir in MetLife Stadium. A 24-0 halftime deficit killed any shot at an Eagles NFC East title, and their regular season closed with a 27-10 defeat against an awful Giants team.

So, Philly will roll into town trying to leave its mark in multiple ways. The Giants will want to punish Barkley for departing while earning a second straight win over their rivals. This game will probably be the highlight of New York’s season, especially if they get the W.

Week 10 @ Carolina Panthers (Sun. November 10, 9:30 AM EST, NFL NET)

During the offseason, the Giants struck a deal with the Carolina Panthers that brought Brian Burns to the Big Apple and New York gave the Pro Bowl pass-rusher a new contract shortly after. This will be his first game against his former team.

Oh, this game is also in Munich, Germany, which is a first for the Giants. Big Blue is 3-0 in international games, including the first one in London, so they’ll hope to keep that alive. The Panthers are probably the only sure win on New York’s schedule, which will help. Depending on how the preceding nine weeks unravel, this contest could solidify the Giants in the NFC playoff race before their bye week.

Week 15 vs Baltimore Ravens (Sun. December 15, 1:00 PM EST, CBS)

It’s not often that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson gets to visit the NFC’s New York team. He notoriously has a 20-1 record against NFC foes as a starter, and yet again, the Baltimore Ravens project to be one of the NFL’s best teams. However, if Baltimore’s 2024 MetLife trip is anything like 2022’s, the G-Men will have a fun Sunday afternoon.

New York rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to hand Jackson that lone defeat against NFC opponents, 24-20. Two late takeaways by the Giants’ defense made that happen and pushed that 2022 squad to 5-1, putting the league on notice that they were barreling toward a playoff spot and, eventually, a playoff win.

This time around, a Giants win would likely mean that they’re playoff-bound, at the very least. Can they survive a revenge game orchestrated by the NFL’s reigning MVP?

2024 Season Giants Team Record Prediction

Is another playoff appearance in this franchise’s future?

Everything for this Giants team starts up front. On defense, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns should terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Behind them, Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden should build off strong 2023 campaigns. The secondary is young but should hold up decently. Getting stops is the least of New York’s concerns, on paper.

It is an offense that fell to 30th in scoring at the end of the year, which is more concerning. Drafting Malik Nabers doesn’t solve an untrustworthy QB situation, a clear RB downgrade, or the potential retirement of the starting TE.

While GM Joe Schoen added plenty of offensive linemen, New York’s front five has been perilous for over a decade now. All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas is only 20% of the equation.

Projection: 8-9; 3rd in the NFC East

This defense should be surprisingly impressive, assuming that the offense doesn’t keep them on the field for 45+ minutes every week. Head coach Brian Daboll has shown that he can optimize offensive talent in spurts, which helps the Giants steal a few games every year. Yet, there’s one aspect of this organization that has been a cloud for ages. New York can never stay healthy.

With the way that the 2024 roster is currently constructed, a few key injuries could make this team one of the first on the draft board again. At worst, this team will win five games, assuming that none of the close ones work in their favor and injuries continue to plague them.

At best, they’ll touch double-digit wins, thanks to a bounce back under center and good health. However, in most scenarios, this team slightly improves to hover around .500. They’ll fizzle out just short of the playoffs, which isn’t a failure by any means. In fact, steady progress would be a welcome sight in East Rutherford.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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