Giants have a chance to get off to a good start

The Giants’ full 2022 schedule was released Thursday night. Here are the highlights and what to expect from weeks 1-18 this season.

Three hardest games

Week 1 in Tennessee

Could planner Brian Daboll have given a tougher Giants debut? The Titans were 12-5 in 2021 and Battering running back Derrick Henry will seek out and bully any weakness in any defense. At least Nashville has great barbecue.

Week 5 vs Packer

The Giants carry their unblemished 2-0 record in the UK into their first game at the chic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Going up against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers is never a cakewalk, but having this game in London — where the Giants always have heaps of fan support — instead of Green Bay and the heart of Cheesehead country should be a plus.

Week 12 in Dallas

Playing at home on Thanksgiving is an annual rite for the Cowboys — they’re 31-21-1 on Turkey Day — and the Giants haven’t played that holiday since 2017. The Giants have lost to the Cowboys five straight times and nine out of ten overall at AT&T Stadium.

Three simplest games

Week 2 vs Panthers

There’s always a sense of renewal for a home opener and there will be no fear in the building when Sam Darnold arrives at MetLife Stadium. How many Kayvon Thibodeaux No 5 shirts will be on the seats?

Week 11 vs Lions

Those who have been in the building for a while fondly remember Dan Campbell as a broad-shouldered, hard-blocking Giants tight end. The Lions were 3-13 in Campbell’s debut season as head coach at Detroit.

Week 13 against Commanders

Starting quarterback Daniel Jones is 4-1 against Washington and 8-24 against everyone else. The Giants are on an extended hiatus, playing this game 10 days off.

Notable Games

Week 6 vs Ravens

Wink Martindale, the Giants’ new defensive coordinator, has spent the last decade with the Ravens, the last four years overseeing defense. Now he can try what so many of his colleagues find so difficult: contain the dangerous Lamar Jackson.

Week 8 in Seattle

What’s so special about a game against a declining Seahawks team? Well, it’s a long, long journey west and the Giants will be coming from a road game in Jacksonville. Back-to-back rides with stage two 2,400 miles away aren’t easy on muscles and joints.

Week 14 vs. Eagles

Daboll was an assistant on six different NFL teams, all in the AFC. He’s familiar with divisional rivalries, but this will be his first exposure to the particular animosity inherent in this hate fest.

Where’s the bye?

The reunion comes in Week 9. The Giants could have asked for a reunion after their Week 5 international, but decided against it. Obviously Daboll didn’t want the break to come so early in the season.

Total take away

There are only two nationally televised games (both against the Cowboys) for the Giants, which is a good thing considering they’ve lost their last 10 nationally televised games. With early home games against the Panthers and Bears there is a chance of a decent start. Home for the holidays isn’t this year’s theme, with street games on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve in Minneapolis. Phew, humbug. At least the Giants are at home against the Colts on New Year’s Day. The Giants only play two NFL East rivals, the Eagles and Commanders, in December, and they have an incredible late stretch of four straight division games. They also have three of their last four games away from home. Not ideal.