The New York Giants' 2026 schedule is ranked as the 17th hardest in the NFL, featuring opponents with a combined winning percentage of .498. Experts predict a turnaround season under new head coach John Harbaugh.
Key points
Giants faced the hardest schedule in the NFL last season
Giants finished last season with a 4-13 record
2026 schedule ranked 17th hardest
Combined winning percentage of opponents is .498
Experts predict a turnaround season under John Harbaugh
Mentioned in this story
John Harbaugh
New York GiantsCleveland
The New York Giants faced the hardest schedule in the NFL last season. Their opponents had a combined .574 winning percentage, and Big Blue had a rough go, finishing with a 4-13 record.
This season, their schedule is ranked the 17th hardest, with their opponents' combined winning percentage of just .498, one of the reasons experts are predicting a turnaround season for them under new head coach John Harbaugh.
Here is a list of the Giants' 2026 games from the easiest to the hardest.
The Browns and Giants go way back to the 1950s, but not these Browns, who entered the league as an expansion team in 1999 after the original Browns left for Baltimore in 1995 to become the Ravens. This iteration of the Browns has faced the Giants just seven times and has lost five, including the last meeting in 2024, 21-15. The Browns are just 8-26 over the last two seasons and are under a new head coach, Todd Monken. There's a lot of familiarity here as Monken was Harbaugh's offensive coordinator in Baltimore. The Browns had a strong draft, but so did the Giants. Take the home team here.
Another team that has been on NFL skid row for a while now, who also has a new head coach (Mike LaFleur). The Cardinals have a lot of great young pieces, including top pick Jeremiyah Love, who the Giants may have selected had he been on the board. Still, this team is riding with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback in a new offense and heading east to play a bully of a Giants team doesn't seem like a very good spot for them.
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This is Brian Daboll's revenge game but he's not very good at revenge. The Titans are loaded with young talent, especially quarterback Cam Ward, who they've been surrounding with top weapons. But can they stand up against a Giants team that has a relentless pass rush and Jaxson Dart with a full complement of weapons?
The Daniel Jones revenge game. No real emotion on either side. They're all over this. The Giants' run defense will be in for a true test against running back Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 1,585 yards and a league-leading 18 touchdowns last year. The Colts did not have a big footprint in this year's draft, having traded their top pick to the Jets in the Sauce Gardner deal. The Giants won the last meeting, 38-10, on New Year's Day 2024.
This won't be an easy game by any stretch. The Commanders have swept the Giants the past two years, but times are changing. Since Jayden Daniels has taken over at quarterback, Washington is 4-0 against New York, even though Daniels did not play in the second meeting last year. Three of those wins were by one score or less. The Giants won't be standing around this time waiting for Daniels to beat them. They have a pass rush and a secondary now that can counter him.
No one knows what to do with the Saints this year because they can't get a good read on second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. Word to the wise: Err on the side of caution. Shough started slow last year but ended the season by being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for December/January. He's big, can run, and can sling it. Add in the nice cadre of weapons (Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, Juwan Johnson, Devaughn Vele, Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara) the Saints have put together, and this matchup looks scary. The Saints won last year's matchup in New Orleans, 26-14, a game the Giants led 14-3 at one time.
Week 5: Giants at Washington
As stated, the last four games have been battles with Washington coming out on top. Washington has a slew of new faces on defense, most notably first-round pick Sonny Styles, the Ohio State linebacker who was on the Giants' radar. On offense, the Commander still has wide receiver "Scary" Terry McLaurin, a notorious Giant killer, and added tight end Chig Okonkwo and running back Rachaad White in free agency.
The Eagles have won three of the last four meetings, but lost 34-17 in their most recent visit last season. That should give the Giants' youngsters, such as quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cam Skattebo, and linebacker Abdul Carter, some hope that they can compete against Philadelphia. The Eagles probably won't have wide receiver A.J. Brown, but will have quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, tight end Dallas Goedert, and wideout Devonta Smith. They added wide receiver Makai Lemon and tight end Eli Stowers in the draft, cornerback Riq Woolen in free agency, and traded for linebacker Jonathan Greenard. Of course, they may be resting starters in this game.
The Jags are coming off a 13-4 season, which ended in a 27-24 loss to Buffalo at home in the wild-card round. They basically haven't done much to the roster this offseason and should be a playoff-caliber team once again. There's not much data to go on here other than the Giants won the last meeting, 23-17, in 2022 down in Jacksonville, and Harbaugh hasn't faced the Jags since 2023, when the Ravens won, 23-7.
The Giants have lost four straight to the Lions, including the 34-27 affair at Ford Field last season, when Big Blue blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and then lost in overtime. The Giants have beefed up since then, but the Lions remain a powerful threat with running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
Week 1: Dallas at Giants (SNF)
The Giants will be observing the 25th anniversary of 9/11, so there will be a lot of emotion in the building, not to mention the home debut of John Harbaugh as head coach. That may or may not level out the odds for the Giants, who have beaten the Cowboys just twice in their last 18 meetings. One of those wins was in Week 18 last year, but the game was a meaningless one as both teams had been eliminated from the postseason.
The Giants have lost the last three games in this series and haven't looked good in the process. Last year, the Giants got out to a 7-0 lead but were then worn down by the Niners and superstar running back Christian McCaffrey, losing 34-24. San Fran has added future Hall of Famer Mike Evans and Christian Kirk to their wide receiver ranks, so expect a more balanced attack this time around.
The Giants are 5-1 all-time against the Texans, but they haven't faced each other since 2022. That was before DeMeco Ryans took over as head coach and C.J. Stroud became the quarterback. The Texans are one team everyone hates to play, especially on the road. Houston was 12-5 last year, losing to the Patriots in the divisional round, and doesn't seem to be worse for wear heading into this season. They are loaded on offense and have Pro Bowlers at every level on defense.
Week 7: Giants at Philadelphia
The Giants last won in Philadelphia back in 2013. They have lost 13 straight games, including one in the postseason, at Lincoln Financial Field. Eagles fans have been calling Giants Week their "second bye week."
Week 17: Giants at Dallas
The Giants have lost nine straight at AT&T Stadium, last winning, 20-19, back in 2016. Before that, their last win was in 2012. If the Giants' culture is going to change, it's going to have to start in places such as Dallas and Philadelphia.
A Monday night game on the road at SoFi. Just kill me. The Rams are a perennial Super Bowl contender and have become the standard of the league these days. The Giants can make some noise by putting up a nice showing here, but to expect a win would be asking a lot.
The defending Super Bowl champs are going to be tough customers again this season. The Giants actually won their last meeting in Seattle, 29-20, back in 2024, but that was before head coach Mike Macdonald and quarterback Sam Darnold came to town.
