GIANT SWING

Big Blue challenges, but playoffs await

The Giants’ 2018 schedule will make an immediate turnaround a tall task. A Week 1 home opener against Tom Coughlin’s formidable Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by consecutive tough Texas tilts at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 and Houston Texans in Week 3, promise an unfriendly greeting for new head coach Pat Shurmur and a Giants roster trying to wipe away the stench of a 3-13 record in 2017.

Not to mention they’ll get the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles twice in division.

“We knew who our opponents would be, and that we would play seven games against teams that were in the playoffs last year, including two against the Super Bowl champions, so we knew it is going to be a challenging schedule,” Shurmur said in a Giants release Thursday night. “I don’t see anything remarkable about the schedule, but it is very challenging.”

Drafting Penn State running back Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall next Thursday, of course, could upgrade Eli Manning’s offense to handle Big Blue’s tough slate. The franchise’s desire to win right away, in fact, may provide important context to what GM Dave Gettleman might do with this first-round pick.

Taking a quarterback who isn’t going to contribute to this 2018 team doesn’t help the short term. And the Giants will be handed nothing this fall, clearly.

They open against a Jaguars team that reached the AFC Championship Game last season, host the defending champion Eagles in a Week 6 Thursday night clash, and go on the road for Monday Night Football twice, to Atlanta and San Francisco, before closing at home against the Cowboys.

The Giants have had only one winning season in the last five years. So now would be a good time for them to resolve this Odell Beckham Jr. contract situation and prepare for an unrelenting start to their season.

Here’s a game-by-game analysis and prediction for the 2018 season. For prediction purposes, I’m going to assume the Giants pick Barkley and re-sign Beckham.

WEEK 1 VS. JAGUARS, SEPT. 9, 1 P.M.

Pat Shurmur’s Giants open against Tom Coughlin’s Jags, their first meeting since the two-time Super Bowl-winning former Giants coach took over as Jacksonville’s executive vice president in Jan. 2017. Jax underestimates the Giants, and Shurmur opens with a bang. Prediction: Win (1-0)

WEEK 2 AT COWBOYS, SEPT. 16, 8:20 P.M., SNF

Zeke Elliott vs. Saquon Barkley for the battle of best back in the NFC East. Giants’ streak of consecutive Week 1 openers in Dallas ends at three. The Giants had opened against the Cowboys in five of the previous six seasons, four times in Arlington, Tex. Giants stop Boys’ one-dimensional offense and win a close one. Prediction: Win (2-0)

WEEK 3 AT TEXANS, SEPT. 23, 1 P.M.

The Texans are loaded: JJ Watt, Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, The Honey Badger. This is a tough road game in a difficult opening stretch for Shurmur’s Giants. Hopkins gives Giants secondary fits. Prediction: Loss (2-1)

WEEK 4 VS. SAINTS, SEPT. 30, 4:25 P.M.

Drew Brees, 39, vs. Eli Manning, 37, for the last time, perhaps? Third meeting in four years for Saints & Giants. Alvin Kamara gives Giants linebackers nightmares. Prediction: Loss (2-2)

WEEK 5 AT PANTHERS, OCT. 7, 1 P.M.

The Dave Gettleman revenge game. Fired in 2016 after just three years as Carolina’s GM despite a 2015 Super Bowl appearance. This one means more. Giants OC Mike Shula, Cam Newton’s long-time QB coach/OC, also returns. And longtime Panther Jonathan Stewart punches in a one-yard TD. Prediction: Win (3-2)

WEEK 6 VS. EAGLES, OCT. 11, 8:20 P.M., TNF

Two years ago the Giants and Eagles both had coaching vacancies. Ben McAdoo interviewed for both jobs. The Giants hired McAdoo, and the Eagles hired Doug Pederson. In 2017, the Giants went 3-13, and the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. Philly will fly too high in this one, too. Prediction: Loss (3-3)

WEEK 7 AT FALCONS, OCT. 22, 8:15 P.M., MNF

The Giants’ first trip to glitzy new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in just its second season. A marquee wide receiver matchup in Julio Jones vs. Beckham. Manning struggles in new environment, turnovers doom the visitors. Prediction: Loss (3-4)

WEEK 8 VS. WASHINGTON, OCT. 28, 1 P.M.

Alex Smith vs. Eli Manning was 12-9 Giants in OT last year when the Giants and Chiefs met in Week 11. Against Smith’s new team, this could be similarly thrilling. Prediction: Win (4-4) —

WEEK 9 WEEK 10 AT 49ERS, NOV. 12, 8:20 P.M., MNF

Second straight year the Giants go to Santa Clara, but this time newly-minted Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo awaits. In Week 10 last year, winless San Fran (0-9) embarrassed the Giants (1-7) for the Niners’ first win of the season, 31-21, led by rookie QB C.J. Beathard. Several Giants defensive players quit on plays in the game. I think they’ll be out to erase the memory of that disaster and will succeed. Prediction: Win (5-4)

WEEK 11 VS. BUCCANEERS, NOV. 18, 1 P.M.

The JPP revenge game. Jason Pierre-Paul will be determined to prove he’s worth more than a third-round pick. He will play well, but the Giants defense will turn over Jameis Winston for a third straight win. Prediction: Win (6-4)

WEEK 12 AT EAGLES, NOV. 25, 1 P.M.

Shurmur spent 13 NFL seasons working for the Eagles. In many ways, this is a return home, as well as a return to the scene of the crime of his Vikings’ 38-7 blowout loss in last year’s NFC Championship Game. A win here will mean a lot to the coach. Beckham explodes in a big way, and Shurmur’s players rally behind him to make it four in a row. Prediction: Win (7-4)

WEEK 13 VS. BEARS, DEC. 2, 1 P.M.

New Giants DC James Bettcher will look to overwhelm rookie Bears head coach Matt Nagy and second-year QB Mitchell Trubisky. And he’ll succeed. Five straight. Prediction: Win (8-4)

WEEK 14 AT WASHINGTON, DEC. 9, 1 P.M.

Josh Norman and Beckham together again. Could spice things up. Manning and Evan Engram had horrible outings in Washington last Thanksgiving. They’ll ride momentum to another victory. Six and counting. Prediction: Win (9-4)

WEEK 15 VS. TITANS, DEC. 16, 1 P.M.

Titans rookie head coach Mike Vrabel technically beat Shurmur head-to-head in Super Bowl XXXIX. Vrabel was a Patriots linebacker, and New England took down the Eagles and Shurmur, Philly’s quarterbacks coach. Tennessee is a physical, tough and unfamiliar opponent. Derrick Henry and Co. sneak up on the Giants and end the streak. Prediction: Loss (9-5)

WEEK 16 AT COLTS, DEC. 22 OR DEC. 23, TBD

Colts rookie head coach Frank Reich and Shurmur are both former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinators. A healthy Andrew Luck makes this tilt interesting, but the Giants are the more talented team. The date and start time of this game will be announced no later than Week 8. Prediction: Win (10-5)

WEEK 17 VS. COWBOYS, DEC. 30, 1 P.M.

Potential major playoff implications against a Dez-less Dallas squad. Barkley erupts in a signature performance to send the Giants into the postseason riding high. Prediction: Win (11-5)