Taking a look at each individual game for the New York Giants and predicting a win or a loss:
Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers (HOME)
The Steelers are always a difficult team to play against, and that testament hasn’t changed. They will be gaining back Ben Roethlisberger, who missed the 2019 season with a shoulder injury. It is possible his degradation could be in full swing, giving the Giants a significant advantage here. With James Connor in the backfield and JuJu Smith Schuster as their top wideout, the Giants are prepared to face off against this team. With a robust run-stopping group and newly signed cornerback James Bradberry, there’s a good chance the Giants could walk away with a win in this one.
Giants: 27 Steelers: 24
Week 2: Chicago Bears (AWAY)
Whenever Khalil Mack is on the field, you should be a bit worried. The Giants made it a priority to upgrade their offensive line this year, for teams precisely like the Chicago Bears. However, as long as Mitchell Trubisky is on the field, the Giants have a good chance at winning this football game. With the overall health of the team looking good up to this point, the Giants sneak out a win to open the season 2-0.
Giants: 17 Bears: 14
Week 3: San Francisco 49ers (HOME)
Through three weeks, this is by far the Giants’ most significant challenge. The 49ers were a Super Bowl team in 2019, and while they did lose a few pieces, they also gained some. Jimmy Garoppolo is an intermediate passer that rarely takes shots downfield, and the Giants’ linebacker corps is weak in coverage. However, the safeties are rather good against tight ends and can feature in the slot. Still, the 49ers are an elite running team and will pound the ball until they reach the end zone. Unfortunately for the Giants, they added wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State. Their offense is going to be stronger and more efficient, which results in a loss for Big Blue in week three.
49ers: 32 Giants: 21
Week 4: Los Angeles Rams (AWAY)
The Rams have struggled to live up to their potential after Sean McVay took over and boosted them to success. Jared Goff was inefficient last season, and their offensive line was problematic at times. They also cut running back Todd Gurley, which takes a significant piece of their offense out of the picture. Given the struggles the Rams currently face with her cap space situation, the Giants are able to sneak a win out of this matchup in Los Angeles.
Giants: 31 Rams: 21
Week 5: Dallas Cowboys (AWAY)
Finally, the Giants face off against the Dallas Cowboys, a long-anticipated game after skipping the first four weeks of division play. This game will be an all-out slugfest. Their offense is elite with CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper manning the wide receiver positions. Don’t forget about Ezekiel Elliott, who is one of the best running backs in the league. Their offense is going to be extremely efficient and productive, just like it was in 2019. However, their secondary is weak, and if the Giants can match them touchdown for touchdown, this could be a close game. However, I don’t believe the Giants offense can keep up with Dallas in “Jerry World,” resulting in a loss.
Dallas: 37 Giants: 28
Week 6: Washington Redskins (HOME)
The Giants have had good luck against the Washington Redskins in recent years, but they recently added Chase Young in the 2020 NFL draft. He will likely lineup against Giants’ new left tackle Andrew Thomas, resulting in an exciting match up between the two. However, Dwayne Haskins is still uneasy in the pocket, and the Giants are able to take advantage of him once more at MetLife Stadium.
Giants: 21 Washington: 17
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles (AWAY)
This is where the schedule gets a bit iffy. The Philadelphia Eagles always play hard against the Giants, and that doesn’t change in week seven of the regular season. Carson Wentz comes to play, and considering this is an away game in Philadelphia, Joe Judge will get his first taste of the Eagles fan base—a group of savages who will do nothing but harass the opposing team into defeat. The Giants are unable to escape with a win in this one.
Eagles: 27 Giants: 14
Week 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (HOME)
The Buccaneers are a completely different team than they were in 2019 when the Giants just barely squeaked out a win in the final moments on a missed field-goal by Tampa Bay. With Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski taking the reins on offense for the Buc, the Giants are going to have trouble slowing them down. They also have a solid defense who can get after the quarterback. This game will be a big test for Andrew Thomas, and unfortunately, the Buccaneers’ offense is too experienced and electrifying to overcome.
Bucs: 34 Giants: 24
Week 9: Washington Redskins (AWAY)
The Giants might have won against the Redskins at home, but Washington gets the second game against Big Blue. Chase Young is developing well, and Haskins is taking steps forward. Terry McLauren, Washington’s number one wide receiver, is having a solid year at this point and takes over in this game against James Bradberry.
Washington: 24 Giants: 17
Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles (HOME)
The Eagles travel to MetLife to face off against the Giants in week 10, one week before the BYE. The Giants put up an impressive fight, with Daniel Jones having one of his best games of the year and Saquon Barkley acting as a force in the passing game. Flashing back to Saquon’s incredible run against the Eagles two years ago, he has a similar performance and leaves it all on the field. It is just enough to squeak out a win before the Giants take a rest in week 11.
Giants: 20 Eagles: 17
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: Cincinnati Bengals (AWAY)
Luckily for the Giants, the Cincinnati Bengals are still quite a while away from being a successful team. While they did select Joe Burrow with the number one overall pick, he is having his fair share of struggles behind an extremely shaky offensive line. The Giants’ defense is able to get after Burrow and sack him multiple times in this game, allowing the offense to put points on the board early on. The Bengals make a late push but are unable to secure the win.
Giants: 28 Bengals: 24
Week 13: Seattle Seahawks (AWAY)
The Seattle Seahawks are an incredibly tough team to play against, as long as Russell Wilson is featuring as their quarterback. The Seahawks always seem to get worse roster-wise, but for whatever reason, they are able to extract talent from even the most unknown players, like Chris Carson. The Giants are unable to defeat a strong Seahawk defense with the 11th man in attendance in Seattle.
Seahawks: 26 Giants: 17
Week 14: Arizona Cardinals(HOME)
The Giants played the Arizona Cardinals last season and were offensively outmatched. The defense must show up in this game, and they must find a way to expose Isaiah Simmons on defense. The Giants heavily targeted the versatile linebacker in the draft, but he evidently fell multiple spots to the Cardinals. They are rising team with a solid quarterback in Kyler Murray who can move quickly around the pocket and pick up yards with his legs. Isolating him and making him throw the ball is the only way to overcome Arizona. Unfortunately, their offense is too potent for the Giants to beat after a tough game against the Seahawks the week prior.
Arizona: 32 Giants: 24
Week 15: Cleveland Browns (HOME)
Another problematic game against former wide receiver for the Giants, Odell Beckham Jr.. We can imagine he has week 15 circled on his calendar, and traveling to MetLife will give him an opportunity to showcase his abilities once more. He will dominate in this game and walk away victorious, but being the Browns, they are nearly out of the playoffs at this point.
Browns: 34 Giants: 24
Week 16: Baltimore Ravens (AWAY)
The Baltimore Ravens are entirely in favor over the Giants in this matchup. Lamar Jackson is merely impossible to stop with slow linebackers like Blake Martinez handling the middle of the field. Jabrill Peppers has a good game, making some solid hits against Jackson, but their diversity on offense is too difficult to stop. Not to mention their incredible defensive unit that limits Daniel Jones to under 200 passing yards and Saquon Barkley to 50 yards on the ground.
Ravens: 32 Giants: 13
Week 17: Dallas Cowboys (HOME)
The Giants can’t go out without a bang, and fighting hard against the Dallas Cowboys in week 16 at home allows them to walk out of the 2020 season on a high note. They beat the Cowboys who are already in the playoffs and sitting some of their better players. Taking away some sort of positive from an extremely difficult season is a necessity for first-year head coach Joe Judge.
Giants: 24 Dallas: 17
FINAL PROJECTED RECORD: 6-10