The NFL Draft is over, so the NFL’s next big event is the schedule release.
While it is kind of funny how much attention a schedule release gets, it is fun for fans. For those who like to go to games, this date allows them to plan their entire fall/winter.
Sidenote: I can’t even imagine how stressful this day is for License Plate Guy.
Besides planning out what games to go to, fans also LOVE to predict their team’s records. Personally, I wouldn’t say I like this, but nonetheless, it’s still a fun day. There has been all sorts of rumors swirling about the Giants opening up against the Jets on 9/11. This got me thinking, what would be the best game to open up the Giants’ 2023 season?
Let’s take a look at the Giants’ 2023 opponents:
Schedule drops Thurs at 8pm ET 🔥
What are you predictions?! pic.twitter.com/MLnZXtWb7f
— New York Giants (@Giants) May 8, 2023
Now, when I say what would be the Giants’ best season opener, I really mean which would be the most exciting. If we were talking about which game the Giants would likely be the biggest favorite in right now, that would probably be the Saints or the Cardinals. That wouldn’t be the most exciting for fans, although I think we would all appreciate a season-opening win for the 2nd year in a row. Let’s break down the rest of the Giants’ opponents.
Looking at the Giants’ away opponents, there are some solid options. The Cowboys always play. Until a few years ago, it felt like the Giants opened up against Dallas yearly. Getting the Eagles right off the bat would surely make fans nervous and give the Giants an excellent chance to avenge a playoff loss. The Commanders would be….fine, but that would be the least exciting of the NFC East opponents. I already spoke about how the Cardinals and Saints are 2 teams that wouldn’t bring much excitement to opening weekend. Traveling to San Francisco would be fun, as those 2 teams have had some classic matchups. But who knows who will be playing QB for the 49ers?
Miami is an exciting team, but playing the Dolphins in week 1 just doesn’t feel right. Going to Vegas to play the Raiders is a very fun thing to think about, but the Raiders have a lot of uncertainty to them. Buffalo is the most fun of the away opponents. The Giants and Bills obviously have ties to each other through Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen.
Is there anyone on the Giants’ home schedule that could top the Bills?
I already spoke about the NFC East teams, and those reasons apply here as well. The Packers and Patriots always bring back memories, but the Zing has kind of been lost without Rodgers or Brady on those teams. The Rams and Seahawks are 2 teams that would actually provide a good game, but they don’t have that opening-day feel to them. Now the Jets? The Jets would be a blast. Giants vs. Jets is always fun for New Yorkers. This was true even when they were terrible teams in the last decade. Now that the Giants have returned to the post-season and the Jets have had the most newsworthy off-season, this game would bring in views. Combine that with the fact that it could be played on Monday Night Football on 9/11. Yeah, this is a perfect opening-week game.
While the Giants and Jets would be my favorite to open up the season, I am going to be fired up no matter who the opponent is. It’s the start of football and, hopefully (God Willing), the start of another playoff season. The fact that the schedule is dropping Thursday means that we are 1 step closer to football season, and THAT is exciting.
No matter who the Giants open up against, let’s just hope it results in a victory.
