The New York Giants will play the seventh-easiest schedule in the NFL in 2020 based on the previous season’s record.
Their 2020 opponents went a combined 123-132-1 (.482) in 2019. The Baltimore Ravens will play the easiest schedule (112-144) while the New England Patriots draw the hardest (137-118-1).
The Giants finished 4-12, third place in the NFC East. It was their sixth finish in the bottom half of the division since winning Super Bowl XLVI. Naturally, the Giants play home and away games against the other members of the NFC East: the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins.
In 2020, the Giants will play a combined eight games against the AFC North (Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ravens) and NFC West (Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks).
The Giants’ third place finish in the NFC East means they will draw matchups from other NFC third-place division finishers: the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Giants will face just four teams that made the postseason in 2019: the NFC East champion Eagles (twice), the NFC champion 49ers, the AFC North Champion Ravens, and Seattle.
Philadelphia narrowly won the division while San Francisco made it all the way to Super Bowl LIV and Baltimore had the best regular season record at 14-2. Seattle, who entered the postseason as a Wild Card, traveled across the country and eliminated Philadelphia.
The Giants will host Arizona, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. This means the only playoff team they face at home in 2020 besides Philadelphia will be the 49ers. They will face Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and Seattle on the road. Baltimore and Seattle are the only playoff teams they will play on the road.
Just because only four of the Giants’ opponents made the playoffs in ’19 doesn’t mean their schedule will be easy. Eight of their opponents (49ers, Bears, Cowboys, Eagles, Rams, Ravens, Seahawks, Steelers) finished .500 or better in 2019. Three of their opponents (49ers, Ravens, Seahawks) posted double-digit wins.
The Giants have posted double-digit losses in each of the last three seasons, a mark of futility that has happened once in franchise history (1978-80). A new head coach combined with a change in philosophy and some key personnel additions have given the organization and their fans reasons for hope.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL and the New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
