The Giants.com crew members give their first impressions of the 2026 schedule.

John Schmeelk: Dan and Matt will handle the team-oriented aspects of this schedule, but I want to focus on some of the individual matchups and storylines that I think will be of interest this season.

The Giants will face the 2025 NFL MVP (Matthew Stafford), Offensive Player of the Year and the two runners-up (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua), Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up (Myles Garrett, Will Anderson), Defensive Rookie of the Year and runner-up (Carson Schwesinger, Nick Emmanwori), Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up (Tyler Shough) and Comeback Player of the Year (Aidan Hutchinson). The two runners-up for Coach of the Year, Mike Macdonald and Liam Coen, are also on the schedule.

Week 3 against the Titans will be fun with Brian Daboll coming to MetLife Stadium as the Titans offensive coordinator and bringing former Giants Wan'Dale Robinson, Daniel Bellinger, Austin Schlottmann, and Cor'Dale Flott with him. Last year's interim head coach Mike Kafka returns to town with the Lions on Monday Night Football. Daniel Jones will welcome the Giants to Indianapolis on Nov. 29.

The Giants will potentially host four other quarterbacks that were drafted alongside Jaxson Dart in the 2025 class. Cam Ward visits MetLife stadium in Week 3, while Shough comes into town in Week 6. When the Browns visit in Week 15, Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders could be starting at quarterback.

The Giants will also see the other player besides Ward that was selected ahead of Abdul Carter in 2025, Travis Hunter, when Jacksonville comes to town in Week 11.

The Giants will play the top 2025 offense in terms of points scored and yards gained per game (Rams) and the top defenses in the league in terms of yards (Texans) and points (Seahawks) allowed.

Dan Salomone: John Harbaugh came to the Giants after one of the most prolific head coaching tenures in NFL history, one that included 193 total victories, a Super Bowl title, 12 postseason appearances, and six AFC North championships. And it all started 18 years ago with a simple win over a divisional opponent at home.

Now he will look to do the same to begin a new era with the New York Football Giants.

The pursuit for the team's first postseason appearance since 2022 and first NFC East title since 2011 will begin right out of the gates with a visit from the rival Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Football is simple, but it isn't easy. Taking care of your business in the division is the tried-and-true method to reach the postseason.

And the Giants frankly haven't done that recently. They have gone 5-13 against NFC East opponents over the last three seasons (1-5 vs. Dallas and 2-4 vs. both Philadelphia and Washington).

So, for all the hoopla around where and when the 17 games fall on the recently-released schedule, put blinders on for those six rivalry games. Among those, the one I really have circled is Week 9 at Philadelphia. The Giants have not won there since 2013, a drought of 13 consecutive games including one postseason meeting, but Harbaugh will take his own streak into that meeting.

The Giants are on their bye the week before, and Harbaugh is 15-3 in games immediately following the break. He can turn – and has turned – the fortune of the Giants in a lot of respects, but doing so there would go a long way.

Meanwhile, the Giants have done all they can in terms of reshaping the roster to compete in the division. That includes simply getting bigger.

"I think we have a bunch of Giants, figuratively and literally," Harbaugh said after the draft. "We have guys that we really like that are going to make a difference. … Definitely a priority. It's important. You can be a Giant in different kind of ways. You can be real fast, and that makes you a fast Giant, I guess. We want really good players. We want guys that fit how we want to play, and some of these guys, they really fit how we want to play.

"The fact that they're bigger players, longer, heavy-handed type guys is important, because especially in this division, you've got to play that way. Your interior offensive line has to be physical. Look at the defensive tackles in this league. Right down the road especially."

Matt Citak: When the 2025 schedule first came out, there was a notable difference between the degree of difficulty before the bye week versus after it. Of course, the Giants had the latest possible bye in Week 14, but their opponents over the final four games of the season were considered by many in the media to be the soft stretch of the schedule. Well this year, the NFL schedule makers seemed to have done the opposite for the Giants.

Beginning the season with two primetime games against the Cowboys and Rams is certainly no walk in the park. But after those two contests, the Giants have four consecutive games against teams that ended up with top-10 picks in this year's draft. The Titans, Cardinals, Commanders, and Saints all struggled for the most part in 2025, even though New Orleans did finish the year strong. Having this four-game stretch in the first half of the season gives the Giants an opportunity to build some momentum before their Week 7 matchup in Houston and then their Week 8 bye. You always want to get the season off on a positive note, but when you look at the slew of tough opponents in the second half of the season, it's even more important for the Giants to stack some wins heading into the bye.

After some time off, the Giants will return to back-to-back matchups against the NFC East. Playing in Philadelphia is always a challenge, and then the Giants will be back at home just four days later to take on the Commanders on Thursday Night Football. While once considered one of the weaker divisions in the league, the AFC South took a big step last year, so those Week 11 and 12 games against the Jaguars and at the Colts could prove difficult, as well. Over the final six weeks, the Giants close out with matchups against the 49ers, at the Seahawks, home versus the Browns, at the Lions, at the Cowboys and home against the Eagles. Other than the Browns, the other five teams are all expected to be in playoff contention this season.

It gets pointed out every year, but there will be some turnover in terms of playoff teams from last year to this year. Since 1990 – a streak of 36 consecutive seasons (1990-2025) – at least four teams every season have qualified for the playoffs after failing to make the postseason the year before. Matchups that could be considered more difficult now might not seem as hard by the time the game actually comes around, and vice versa. But no matter what is going on with their opponents, the Giants obviously would benefit greatly from jumping out to a strong start if they want to be in the playoff conversation come December.