Now that the NY Giants 2022 regular season schedule has dropped, it’s not too early to start looking at some of the mouth-watering showdowns that are on the way. This is going to be a big year for the Giants and fans have several reasons to be excited about the future. Will the guys be ready to deliver on the national stage?
That’s something people sure are hoping for. This fall and winter, there are several primetime meetings featuring New York, including the Christmas Eve tilt with the Minnesota Vikings. That’s one of four matchups that the NY faithful will want to circle on their calendars. We take a full look at the primetime contests in this piece.
4. Giants vs. Cowboys Monday Night Football on Sept. 26
People aren’t going to have to wait long to see the Giants and Cowboys face off, as the two teams will battle it out on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET) on Sept. 26. This is going to be an amazing showdown and all the pressure will be on the Dallas Cowboys to get a win. Not so fast, though, as the Giants will be ready to silence their hated rivals.
For the Cowboys, they’ve been blowing it year after year and the same was the case in 2021. Dallas had the looks of a potential Super Bowl squad, but the opposite went down. The team hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round. Yet, San Francisco lit up the Dallas defense and recorded an upset win.
Since then, Dallas has traded away Amari Cooper as well. Mike McCarthy is hoping CeeDee Lamb can live up to the hype as a No. 1 receiver. While Lamb has all the talent in the world, drops have been an issue for him. The Giants will look to make his evening a long one when the speedster makes his way to East Rutherford.
Meanwhile for New York, this will be their second consecutive home game. The Giants open the season in Week 1 on the road against the Tennessee Titans and then follow that up with a Week 2 dance at home against the Carolina Panthers. Then, the Giants will be ready to face the Cowboys for the MNF affair at MetLife Stadium.
3. Giants and Packers will meet in London
Next up on the list, who’s ready for an international battle? That’s exactly what everyone will be able to watch on Oct. 9, as the Giants will be taking on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers over in London. That one is set for 9:30 a.m. ET and it will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There’s so much intrigue leading up to that battle we don’t even know where to begin, but countless eyes are of course going to be on future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers just inked his new multi-year deal with the Packers and the team’s fans are hoping he can power them to a Super Bowl in 2022.
However, Green Bay sure has a different feel heading into the new season, as superstar wide receiver Davante Adams is no longer with the team. Adams is ready to make plenty of noise for the Las Vegas Raiders after he was traded to the AFC West. That move is no question going to have a negative impact for Rodgers and his aerial attack.
The Giants will look to take advantage of that. Despite James Bradberry being cut, this team still has a talented defense, which of course has welcomed superstar pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. The No. 5 overall pick is ready to make a huge splash this fall and he could send quite the message with a sack or two against Rodgers.
2. Giants vs. Cowboys coming on Thanksgiving
The second game between Dallas and New York will take place on Thanksgiving and that’s going to spice up your holiday for sure. Dallas hosting a game on Turkey Day is a tradition unlike any other, and the Giants would love nothing more than to down some mashed potatoes, turkey and gravy after beating the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
We touched on Lamb above, but you already knows there’s going to be loads of pressure on Dak Prescott to deliver this campaign. After signing his head-turning four-year extension, Prescott was impressive at times last year, but the Dallas offense as a whole looked incredibly sluggish. This should never be the case for such a loaded unit.
In addition to Prescott and Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott is also one of the best running backs in the game. He himself didn’t look overly sharp last year at times and it was frustrating to see for Dallas fans. The New York faithful loved every minute of it, however, especially when Dallas recorded its choke job against San Francisco in the playoffs.
AT&T Stadium isn’t an easy place to travel to, but the Giants very well could head to Arlington and capture a win over Dallas. Again, whenever these two teams face off, anything can happen. This will once again be the case on Nov. 24 for the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
1. Christmas Eve showdown with the Vikings
Last but not least, the NY Giants will celebrate Christmas Eve with a Dec. 24 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. That one will take place in Minnesota and kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. So, similar to Thanksgiving, Giants fans will be able to chow down some amazing food and also watch their favorite team.
For the Vikings, this team also has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, highlighted by Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson for the passing game. No one is going to forget about stud running back Dalvin Cook, as he’s one of the best in the conference too. Those three have what it takes to help Minnesota put up a bunch of points on any given Sunday.
The NY defense, now led by Wink Martindale, will have its hands full trying to slow down that three-headed monster. It will be on Jones and Barkley to try and help the Giants keep this one close, with the hopes of potentially stealing a game from the Vikes on the table as well. Will NY record a road win here? We’ll find out in late December.