NFL Schedule Preview: New York Giants

It’s 26 days until the new NFL season begins but for a football mad guy like me that’s just too long so I’ve taken it upon myself to go over each NFL schedule and try and predict for all of you what may happen once the season rolls around.

Our look at the NFL schedules is just about over and this week is the final division to preview as we look at the NFC East starting with the world champion New York Giants who went 9-7  in 2011. Here’s how I think their season will go:

• Week 1 vs Dallas Cowboys – Win
• Week 2 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Win
• Week 3 at Carolina Panthers – Loss
• Week 4 at Philadelphia Eagles – Loss
• Week 5 vs Cleveland Browns – Win
• Week 6 at San Francisco 49ers – Loss
• Week 7 vs Washington Redskins – Win
• Week 8 at Dallas Cowboys – Loss
• Week 9 vs Pittsburgh Steelers – Win
• Week 10 at Cincinnati Bengals – Loss
• Week 11 BYE
• Week 12 vs Green Bay Packers – Loss
• Week 13 at Washington Redskins – Loss
• Week 14 vs New Orleans Saints – Loss
• Week 15 at Atlanta Falcons – Loss
• Week 16 at Baltimore Ravens – Loss
• Week 17 vs Philadelphia Eagles – Loss

Overall Record for the New York Giants in 2012: 5-11

Right at the outset I will state the obvious – this is about the worst schedule in the league other than the Baltimore Ravens. There is only one truly spot spot in this schedule and it’s only two games long – the early pair of the Panthers and Buccaneers and the Panthers aren’t really that weak. Facing both the NFC South and AFC North is as tough an assignment as there is in football and when the two additional games are against the Packers and 49ers you know you’re in for a VERY rough year.

It’s tough to really isolate the important stretches of this schedule when there are so many difficult matchups on the slate. If I had to narrow it down, the two AFC North games prior to the bye against the Steelers and Bengals will be very important for momentum going into their absurdly tough home stretch after the bye. Once the Giants are past the bye it looks like they are playoff contenders at 5-5 but then they get the Packers, Redskins, Saints, Falcons, Ravens and Eagles to finish the season. I’ve perhaps been a little harsh suggesting they can go 0-6 to end things but given the quality of the competition and the injury history of this Giants team it’s not that farfetched. All in all this is just a brutal schedule and by the end of the season this is going to be a team who will be better than their record suggests.

One down, three to go – tomorrow we continue the NFC East schedule with the Philadelphia Eagles.