The New York Giants have had trouble winning games the last few years. Fortunately for them, their 2020 slate should make things a bit easier. The Giants have the seventh-easiest schedule based on their opponents’ combined 2019 winning percentage. The NFL is fickle, though, and it’s hard to project a team’s caliber by it’s previous year’s record. Add in that, frankly, the Giants are seen as a bottom-tier team by most, and there aren’t many games in which they’re clear-cut favorites.
In order to gauge New York’s chances of winning each week, here are all their games this season, ranked from most favorable to most daunting.
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1. Week 6 vs. Washington Football Team
New York swept Washington last year, with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley both having career days in the second matchup. Washington’s defensive line could be ferocious, but the rest of their team is desperately wanting for talent. The Giants should feel good about this one at home.
2. Week 9 at Washington Football Team
Take everything written about the Week 6 matchup above, and turn it down a half-decibel since the game will be in Washington. And with limited fan attendance this season, that may not even matter much.
3. Week 12 at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals picked first overall in the 2020 NFL draft for a reason. They were 29th in DVOA last year according to Football Outsiders. This game is later in the year, so there’s some danger rookie quarterback Joe Burrow will have found his stride by then. Still, there’s not much to worry about with this Cincy team.
4. Week 14 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Things are already getting dicey. If these two teams played tomorrow, the Cardinals would likely be favored. Arizona is a trendy upstart, and they rushed all over the Giants last year in a 27-21 victory.
5. Week 2 at Chicago Bears
Another team the Giants lost to last year. It’s an early-season matchup so it could be a sloppy affair with no preseason. That could help New York as the underdog, or it could lead to a bucket of Jones turnovers.
6. Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Monday night opener. The lack of fans will neuter the Giants’ home-field advantage, but Ben Roethlisberger could be rusty after missing nearly all of last year with injury.
7. Week 15 vs. Cleveland Browns
The Browns have oodles of talent, so it’s risky to put their game this high on the list. But they’ve yet to prove their worth, and the Giants shouldn’t have any problem getting up for this one.
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8. Week 10 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have swept the Giants each of the last three seasons. Either New York will never beat Philly again, or they’re due for a win.
9. Week 7 at Philadelphia Eagles
Without any fan attendance for either of these teams, there’s hardly any reason to discriminate between their home and away games. Ranking the Eagles games back-to-back is only reasonable.
10. Week 4 at Los Angeles Rams
Everybody seems to think the Rams had a down year last season, but they still finished 9-7. They’re a balanced team with a couple top-of-their-position players. They’re overall depth is lacking, though, so the Giants should have more than a puncher’s chance.
11. Week 17 vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys were already chockfull of talent, and their recent signing of defensive end Everson Griffen only made the rich richer. Dallas has made a habit of underperforming the last couple years, though. This is the last game of the year, so it could wind up being completely meaningless.
12. Week 5 at Dallas Cowboys
Just like with the Eagles, it only makes sense to stack the Cowboys games back-to-back with severely limited fan attendance this year.
13. Week 8 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have been a polarizing team to project since they signed quarterback Tom Brady this offseason. Some think they’re super bowl contenders; others think they’re no better than average. Regardless, with a talented defensive front-seven and a great host of offensive weapons, they’ll be a tough matchup for the Giants.
14. Week 13 at Seattle Seahawks
Playing the Seahawks in Seattle might not be as difficult this year with restricted attendance, but by this point in the season there may be more fans allowed in the stadium. Either way, Russell Wilson on offense and the newly acquired Jamal Adams on defense will make this game a headache for Big Blue.
15. Week 3 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Another tough NFC West matchup for the Giants. The defending NFC champions will be a force again this year, and their dominant pass rush should make life miserable for New York’s green offensive line.
16. Week 16 at Baltimore Ravens
The reigning MVP at quarterback in Lamar Jackson. A top-five DVOA in both offense and defense last year according to Football Outsiders. An irrepressible running attack. The Ravens figure to be world beaters once again. Good luck Big Blue.
– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.
