Giants.com is counting down the start of training camp with 20 questions in 20 days.
17) How tough is the Giants' schedule this season?
Dan Salomone: On Sept. 7, 2008, the Ravens defeated the Bengals, 17-10, in John Harbaugh's first game as a head coach.
Eighteen years and 192 more wins later, he will begin a new era with the New York Football Giants. And, once again, he will do it at home against a division rival.
The Giants will open the 2026 campaign – the 102nd in franchise history – against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football (Sept. 13, 8:20 p.m. ET).
It is the first leg of back-to-back primetime outings to kick off the inaugural season under Harbaugh, who is 45-23 in night games. The Giants will travel to Los Angeles in Week 2 for a Monday night matchup with the Rams, fresh off playing the NFL's first ever regular-season game in Australia against the 49ers.
The Giants are currently set for two more primetime games: at home against the Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 10, and at Detroit on Monday Night Football in Week 16.
The Giants, who had the latest possible bye last season, will take their break in Week 8. They will return to action with a 1 p.m. road game on Nov. 8 at Philadelphia. Harbaugh will look to build on his 15-3 record in games immediately following the bye week in a building where the Giants have not won since 2013.
The Giants will finish the season with three of their last five games on the road, beginning with a trip to face the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Week 14. Seattle is led by head coach Mike Macdonald, a longtime assistant under Harbaugh with the Ravens. Macdonald spent nine total seasons across two stints on Baltimore's staff, serving the last two as defensive coordinator.
Harbaugh, who has the 14th-most wins in NFL history and is seven away from 200 total, was hired in January to be the 21st head coach in Giants history. He will seek the team's first postseason appearance since 2022 and first division title since 2011, when they went on to win their fourth Super Bowl. A year later, Harbaugh hoisted the Lombardi Trophy with the Ravens.
Under the NFL's schedule rotation, the Giants face the entire NFC West and AFC South, and same-place finishers from the AFC North (Browns), NFC South (Saints), and NFC North (Lions). That is in addition to the annual home-and-home series with their three NFC East opponents.
Harbaugh owns a winning record against 11 of the 14 opponents on the schedule. As for the three exceptions, he is 4-4 against the Colts in the regular season and 1-1 in the postseason; 2-2 against the Seahawks; and 3-4 against the Titans in the regular season but 2-1 in the postseason.
John Harbaugh's record vs. 2026 opponents
- Dallas Cowboys: 4-1
- Philadelphia Eagles: 3-2
- Washington Commanders: 3-2
- Cleveland Browns: 28-8
- New Orleans Saints: 3-1
- Arizona Cardinals: 3-1
- San Francisco 49ers: 3-1 (1-0 postseason/Super Bowl XLVII)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 5-4
- Tennessee Titans: 3-4 (2-1 postseason)
- Detroit Lions: 5-1
- Houston Texans: 9-3 (2-0 postseason)
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-4 (1-1 postseason)
- Los Angeles Rams: 4-2
- Seattle Seahawks: 2-2
- NFC: 52-25
- AFC: 128-88
- Own division: 63-45
Based on combined winning percentages from the 2025 season, the Giants have the 17th-"toughest" schedule in the league. Their opponents had a combined winning percentage of .498 last year, just below the Commanders at .502. The Eagles have the "easiest" road in the NFC East at .481, while the Cowboys are 20th at .493.
The Bears (.550) have the toughest in the NFL, while the Browns are last at .429.
With that said, predicting one season based on the last is a fool's errand.
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.
Meanwhile, there were seven new division winners in 2025, tied with 2011 for the most in a season since 2002. There have been at least two new division winners in every season since 2003, a streak of 23 consecutive seasons.
2026 NFL Strength of Schedule
1. Bears .550
2. Dolphins .542
T3. Cardinals .538
T3. Packers .538
5. Chiefs .536
6. Patriots .531
7. Raiders .529
8. Bills .528
9. Chargers .522
10. Panthers .521
11. Vikings .519
12. Jets .517
13. Rams .516
14. Seahawks .514
15. Broncos .512
16. Commanders .502
17. Giants .498
18. 49ers .497
19. Steelers .495
20. Cowboys .493
21. Buccaneers .491
22. Jaguars .490
23. Eagles .481
24. Ravens .479
25. Titans .476
26. Texans .474
27. Lions .467
T28. Falcons .465
T28. Colts .465
30. Bengals .450
31. Saints .434
32. Browns .429
Previous Questions
See John Harbaugh's record as a head coach against every opponent on the Giants' 2026 schedule.
vs. Dallas Cowboys: 4-1
vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 3-2
vs. Washington Commanders: 3-2
vs. Cleveland Browns: 28-8
vs. New Orleans Saints: 3-1
vs. Arizona Cardinals: 3-1
vs. San Francisco 49ers: 3-1 (1-0 postseason/Super Bowl XLVII)
vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 5-4
vs. Tennessee Titans: 3-4 (2-1 postseason)
vs. Detroit Lions: 5-1
vs. Houston Texans: 9-3 (2-0 postseason)
vs. Indianapolis Colts: 4-4 (1-1 postseason)
vs. Los Angeles Rams: 4-2
vs. Seattle Seahawks: 2-2
vs. AFC: 128-88
vs. NFC: 52-25
vs. Own Division: 63-45
Giants announce 2026 open training camp dates
New York Giants 2026 Training Camp, presented by Ford, will be held at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and will feature six practices free and open to the public.
