This Sunday marks 252 days since the New York Giants last took the field for a regular-season football game.
Since that cold January afternoon when the Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-17, the Big Blue has had many faces come and go in that time span.
These key faces include drafting linebacker Arvell Reese with the No. 5 overall pick out of Ohio State, lineman Francis Mauigoa No. 10 overall from the University of Miami and wide receiver Malachi Fields No. 74 overall74 overall from Notre Dame. In free agency, New York snagged tight end Isaiah Likely from Baltimore, who was a key spark for the Ravens in his four seasons with the team.
Odell Beckham Jr., who last played for the Giants in 2018, is back in blue and white, repping his No. 13 jersey. It wasn’t guaranteed that Beckham would make the 53-man roster, but his preseason performance did not disappoint.
“Yes, he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure,” Head Coach John Harbaugh told ESPN.
Week 1 for New York is in primetime against Dallas, a matchup in which the Giants have historically not fared well. In 2023, the Cowboys blew out New York 40-0 in what was one of the worst games in recent memory for Giants fans.
This time around, you should expect to see a different outcome: a high-scoring affair with both defenses getting picked apart.
Week 2 last season between these NFC East rivals went back and forth, finishing in a Cowboys 40-37 victory in overtime.
Dallas finished with the 30th-ranked defense in points allowed and New York came in at 27th. The Cowboys got some help for the defense by drafting Caleb Downs at No. 11 overall out of Ohio State, who may be argued as the steal of the draft. Downs, who plays safety, is all over the field and delivers bone-crushing hits while flying downhill on run plays.
Rashan Gary, a veteran pass rusher whom Dallas acquired in March from Green Bay, has the ability to blow up runs and apply early pressure at the quarterback. He’s no Micah Parsons, whom the Cowboys sent to the Packers, but is still an upgrade from what they originally had.
But how should the Giants game plan to defeat America’s team?
Establish the passing game early.
Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 last season, which was only the beginning for the last-place passing defense for Dallas. Malik Nabers dominated the game with 167 yards and two scores.
So, will he be healthy for Sunday?
Nabers is coming off a torn ACL and might not be able to move as efficiently as he did last season. Just like Nabers, there is Cam Skattebo, who is fully healthy and ready for the season after recovering from a severe right ankle dislocation, open tibia/fibula fracture and a ruptured deltoid ligament against Philadelphia in Week 8 of his rookie campaign. The young trio of Jaxson Dart, Nabers and Skattebo are the reason Giants fans are excited for their future.
The game plan defensively for New York should be to stop the run game. New York was No. 31t in the league last season, allowing 145 yards on the ground per game. Cowboys’ running back Javonte Williams is one of the higher-end backs in the league, rushing for over 1,200 yards last season on 4.8 yards per carry. With the addition of Arvell Reese, we should expect the G-Men to send the house often on Sunday night.
Looking ahead this season for the Giants, record-wise, their floor is 5-12 and ceiling is 9-8. In their first seven games, the Giants have very favorable matchups against Tennessee, Washington, Arizona and New Orleans. After the Week 8 bye, the schedule turns into a gauntlet with games against Philly (Week 9 and Week 18), San Francisco (Week 13), Seattle (Week 14), Detroit (Week 16) and Dallas (Week 17).
New York put up many fights in their tougher games last season, and even had double-digit leads in many, but they blew every lead. Let’s hope luck can fall into the Giants’ hands this upcoming season.
Tune in to Giants vs. Cowboys on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.