2022 SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
THREE TOUGHEST GAMES
Week 1 at Tennessee: Could the schedule-maker have given Brian Daboll a more difficult Giants debut? The Titans were 12-5 in 2021 and batteringram running back Derrick Henry will locate and bully any weakness in any defense. At least there is great barbecue in Nashville. Week 5 vs. Packers: The Giants take their unblemished (2-0) record in the United Kingdom into their first game at swanky Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Facing Aaron Rodgers (right) and the Packers is never a picnic, but having this game in London — where the Giants always have loads of fan support — instead of Green Bay and the heart of Cheesehead country should be a plus. Week 12 at Dallas: Playing at home on Thanksgiving is an annual rite for the Cowboys — they are 31-21-1 on Turkey Day — and the Giants have not played on this holiday since 2017. The Giants have lost five straight at AT&T Stadium and nine of 10 overall to the Cowboys.
THREE EASIEST GAMES
Week 2 vs. Panthers: There is always a sense of renewal for a home opener and there will be no fear in the building seeing Sam Darnold (right) arrive at MetLife Stadium. How many Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 5 jerseys will be spotted in the seats? Week 11 vs. Lions: Those who have been around the building for a while fondly recall Dan Campbell as a wide-shouldered, hardblocking Giants tight end. The Lions were 3-13 in Campbell’s debut season as head coach in Detroit. Week 13 vs. Commanders: Daniel Jones is 4-1 as a starting quarterback against Washington and 8-24 against everyone else. The Giants will be coming off an extended break, playing this game on 10 days of rest.
NOTABLE GAMES
Week 6 vs. Ravens: Wink Martindale, the new Giants defensive coordinator, spent the past decade with the Ravens, the last four years running the defense. Now he gets to try what so many of his peers find so difficult to do: Contain the dangerous Lamar Jackson. Week 8 at Seattle: What is so special about a game against a regressing Seahawks team? Well, it is a long, long trip out west and the Giants will be coming off a road game in Jacksonville. Back-toback trips, with the second leg 2,400 miles away, is not easy on the muscles and joints. Week 14 vs. Eagles: Daboll has been an assistant with six different NFL teams, all of them in the AFC. He knows about divisional rivalries but this will be his first introduction to the special hostility inherent in this hatefest.