MetLife Stadium might host two teams, but only one will play a nationally televised game there this season.
Sorry, Jets.
The NFL confirmed on Thursday that John Harbaugh and the new-look Giants will play four primetime games this fall. We previously knew that the Giants would host Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 1.
Eight days later, the Giants are headed to Los Angeles for a Monday night duel with the Rams. Fast forward to Week 10, when the Giants welcome Jayden Daniels and the Commanders on “Thursday Night Football.”
Barring any flexes, the Giants will round out their primetime slate with a Week 16 clash against the Lions on “Monday Night Football.”
Meanwhile, the Jets will play all but two games in the 1 p.m. window.. The exceptions are road games against the Chargers and Cardinals.
The NFL will determine Week 18 start times at a later date; the Jets play at Buffalo, and the Giants face the Eagles to end the regular season.
Despite only having two winning seasons since the start of 2013, the Giants are guaranteed to play at least 20% of their games on national television.
“The Giants are relevant again,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan claimed on Thursday night.
That is certainly a take, and it’s a misleading one.
The Giants’ 2026 schedule doesn’t impact their relevancy
Not only do the Giants play in the New York market, but they share a division with the Eagles and Cowboys.
In other words, the Giants were always going to have multiple primetime games, and likely at least three.
Last year’s Giants team played three nationally televised games. The 2024 team had four standalone windows, counting their loss to the Panthers in Germany.
“There are high expectations now for Big Blue with Harbaugh and second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart,” Raanan insisted.
Even the most cynical Giants fans won’t dispute that argument.
However, those high expectations really have nothing to do with the Giants earning four national games.
The Giants and Cowboys almost always play in either primetime or in the 4:30 p.m. window. Facing an NFC East rival on “Thursday Night Football” is nothing new, either.
Compare that to the Jets and Browns, neither of whom have a primetime game this year. It doesn’t help that they don’t play in the NFC East, which is typically one of the NFL’s more fascinating divisions.
Unfortunately for Giants fans, they can’t escape the growing trend of paywalled games. The Week 10 showdown will exclusively air on Amazon Prime unless you live in a local market.
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