Five key games on the New York Giants' 2018 schedule:

There are no games off in the NFL, but some are hyped more than others.

From squaring up with the reigning champs to facing familiar faces and rising stars, the Giants' 2018 schedule has it all. Here are five intriguing matchups this season:

vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 1)

2017 record: 10-6 (1st in AFC South)
Last meeting: L, 25-24 (11/30/2014)

This won't be Tom Coughlin's first return to MetLife Stadium. The two-time Super Bowl champion as head coach of the Giants came back for his Ring of Honor induction in 2016 and to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2007 championship team during a halftime ceremony last season. But this will be his first trip back as an opponent. In his first season as executive vice president of football operations, the Jaguars won the AFC South and were three minutes away from advancing to Super Bowl LII.

@ Carolina Panthers (Week 5)

2017 record: 11-5 (2nd in NFC South)
Last meeting: L, 38-35 (12/20/2015)

New general manager Dave Gettleman has used his 2015 Panthers team as an example of how he wants to construct the Giants both on the field and in the locker room. This will be his first opportunity to see how his new team stacks up. Gettleman, who is in his second stint with the Giants, served as Carolina's general manager from 2013-16. The Panthers went 40-23-1 in that time and won three consecutive NFC South titles. In 2015, Gettleman was named The Sporting News' NFL Executive of the Year after the Panthers finished 15-1 and made it all the way to Super Bowl 50. He was dismissed by Carolina last July.  

vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 6 – Thursday night)

2017 record: 13-3 (1st in NFC East)
Last meeting: L, 34-29 (12/17/2017)

The 2017 Eagles took a page out of the 1990 Giants' book and won the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback and a dominant defense. While Philadelphia's first Super Bowl title in franchise history cuts into Giants fans' bragging rights (Big Blue is no longer the only team to beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots in the Super Bowl), the NFC East became the only division with all four of its teams boasting at least one title. Carson Wentz, who was leading the MVP charge before tearing his ACL against the Rams in Week 14, will try to return to form while Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles is on standby. There still has not been a repeat NFC East champion since the Eagles won four in a row from 2001-04.

@ San Francisco 49ers (Week 10)

2017 record: 6-10 (4th in NFC West)
Last meeting: L, 31-21 (11/12/2017)

Outside of the NFC East, you could put the 49ers up there as the Giants' biggest rival historically. These two teams have met eight times in the postseason, including two NFC Championship Games. But those were the good old days. The 49ers are beginning a new era with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the former Patriot who went 5-0 in his five starts for San Francisco following the trade last season. The 49ers were 1-10 without him, the only win coming against the Giants in Week 10. Big Blue heads back to Santa Clara for another crack.

vs. Dallas Cowboys (Week 17)

2017 record: 9-7 (2nd in NFC East)
Last meeting: L, 30-10 (12/10/2017)

For the first time since 2012, the Giants open and close their season at home. Big Blue last played Big D in a regular-season finale on New Year's Day 2012. The Giants won that game to clinch the division, thus beginning their Super Bowl XLVI title run. The Cowboys swept the season series in 2017 to break a three-game losing streak to the Giants.