New York Giants 2016 Schedule Announced, Big Blue Will Go 14-2 With Homefield Advantage In The Playoffs
By Neal Lynch
Week 5: Giants at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, October 9th at 8:30 p.m. (NBC)
The Giants are 8-14 when playing at Green Bay. Big Blue’s last visit came in the NFC Divisional Round of the 2011-12 playoffs when they upset the 15-1 Packers, 37-20, thanks to a pair of Hakeem Nicks touchdowns including a hail mary snare. The last regular-season game in Lambeau Field in 2010 was less memorable as the G-Men lost, 45-17, effectively ending their playoff hopes, one week after the New Miracle at the Meadowlands.
If this were a postseason game, I’d have to side with the Giants, but Aaron Rodgers should be firing on all cylinders with Jordy Nelson back. It won’t be a blowout like the post-Christmas debacle of six years ago, but it will serve as a reminder of how far the Giants have come and how far they need to go to hoist the Lombardi again; a humbling experience and an ego boost all in one.
PREDICTION: LOSS (4-1)
Week 6: Giants vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, October 16th at 1 p.m.
The Giants have gone 1-4 lifetime against the Ravens with their sole win coming in 2008, which was the last time the Ravens visited East Rutherford. In that game, Brandon Jacobs rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Aaron Ross had a pair of picks, taking one to the house in a 30-10 rout. The Earth, Wind, and Fire trio of Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 210 yards rushing as the defense kept Joe Flacco in check. At home, Big Blue is 1-1 against the Ravens, the sole loss coming in 1997 by one point.
This season, the Giants face a banged up Baltimore team that’s on the mend and looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued campaign in 2015 with an emphasis on ‘pain’. They’ll have Terrell Suggs back along with Elvis Dumervil and new additions safety Eric Weddle, wide receiver Mike Wallace, and tight end Benjamin Watson. B-more will also have the un-retired Steve Smith returning to the lineup with emerging pass-catcher Kamar Aiken and former heavy target Dennis Pitta.
Had this game been in Baltimore, I’d chalk up a ‘W’ for the Ravens, but the MetLife crowd should be able to get to Flacco while the offense should keep Baltimore’s D off-balance. If you remember correctly, when healthy early on last season, the Ravens took it to the Broncos.
PREDICTION: WIN (5-1)
Week 7: Giants at Los Angeles Rams (in London)
Sunday, October 23rd at 9:30 a.m. (FOX)
If the game weren’t played in London, this would’ve been the Giants’ first time playing football in Los Angeles since 1994, when they lost to the likes of Jerome Bettis, Isaac Bruce, Flipper Anderson, and Chris Miller, 17-10. Ya know, you might think from the photo I used that it was taken at a preseason game. There is NO ONE in the stands. Pretty much why the Rams packed up the van and spanned half the country to settle in St. Louis and win a Super Bowl. That’s gotta hurt if you’re from the Lou. You lost a team to an empty stadium.
Anyway, Big Blue is 4-10 when playing in Los Angeles, but 1-0 in London thanks to their sloppy victory against the Miami Dolphins there in 2007. After the blockbuster Rams-Titans trade in which Los Angeles secured the first overall pick in this year’s draft, but gave up a boatload in return, and after losing a bunch of players in free agency, namely new Giants corner Janoris Jenkins, it’s tough to project the Rams being a force in the conference. That being said, they’ve shown they can keep up with NFC West powerhouses, beating the Cardinals and the Seahawks. They’ve also got Todd Gurley, who should take another step forward in proving the Giants made a mistake passing him over to draft Ereck Flowers.
NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison named this game as one of the top must-see matchups of the season. Historically, the G-Men stink against the LA Rams, but are 1-0 in London. As much as this feels like a letdown game for Big Blue, I think they pull out another ugly British win.
PREDICTION: WIN (6-1)
Week 8: Bye
Seems like the Giants have been getting this mid-season bye week the past couple seasons. Three of the past five seasons have seen a bye week in Weeks 7-9 with the other two byes coming towards the last quarter. As bad the Giants are coming out of the bye week, I’m still a fan of the mid-to-late bye week because that’s when the team needs it most. Early season byes seem like a waste.
Next: THE SECOND HALF