New York Giants schedule 2024: Takeaways, predictions

Source: ESPN.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants' 2024 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate on Wednesday.

There are some notable games for the 100th season in franchise history, including their first regular-season trip to Germany. The Giants play the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 at Allianz Arena in Munich before their bye week. Later that month, they have a Thanksgiving afternoon game on the road against the Dallas Cowboys.

But, really, perhaps the most crucial stretch will come early in the season. The Giants don't face a single team from Weeks 3-8 that had a losing record last year. And three of those matchups (vs. Dallas, Cincinnati and at Pittsburgh) are in prime time.

That brutal stretch also includes perhaps the most-anticipated matchup of the season: Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles against his former team in Week 7 at MetLife Stadium. That one will be fun.

Strength of schedule: Their schedule is the sixth-hardest as their opponents had a .516 win percentage last season.

Over/Under: 6.5

Nobody seems to think much of this season's Giants team. That is evident by the decrease in prime-time games. Three of their first four games and four of their first six were in prime time a year ago. That is not the case after finishing 6-11 last season. The Giants have just three prime-time games (vs. the Cowboys on a Thursday night, vs. the Bengals on a Sunday night and at Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football) and a Thanksgiving matchup in 2024.

Don't think for a second that Saquon Barkley won't have these two dates -- Oct. 20 at MetLife Stadium and Week 18 --circled on the calendar when the Philadelphia Eagles get a crack at the Giants. It didn't end well for Barkley after five years with the team. The Giants didn't offer a contract to the star running back this year in free agency. New York believes the deal that Barkley signed with the Eagles is the one they offered him the previous year. Either way, Barkley has taken heat on his way out the door. The nickname "Snakequon" has made its way around social media. Barkley has made it known that he doesn't like the criticism for leaving. This will be his chance for revenge.

The Giants will finish with a winning record at home for just the second time in eight seasons. That is saying something, considering even in their playoff season in 2022, they went just 5-3-1 at MetLife Stadium. But this year, a majority of their easier matchups are in New Jersey. The Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals all missed the playoffs last season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also had the worst record of any division winner. This year's home slate should have some winnable games on it for the Giants, with a big one coming Week 1 against Minnesota and (possibly) the quarterback they passed on in the draft in J.J. McCarthy.