Who are the New York Giants’ 2021 NFL opponents as they look to bounce back from a poor performance in the 2020 season? Let’s look at who the Giants will play in 2021, and what that means in terms of their strength of schedule ranking compared to their rivals.
Who do the Giants play in 2021?
The Giants’ list of 2021 opponents will see them play the regular six games against the NFC East: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Football Team. As is customary, the Giants will face each of those three teams both at home and on the road during the 2021 season.
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The 2021 season will also see the NFC East compete against the NFC South and AFC West for another eight games. Finally, the remaining two games on the traditional 16-game schedule will see the Giants face the two teams that finished in second place of the NFC North (Chicago Bears) and NFC West (Los Angeles Rams).
What about the Giants’ 17th game in 2021?
The 2021 season expects to introduce a 17th regular-season game for all NFL teams. Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on NFL.com that plans are in place to expand the regular season, although their report has yet to be officially confirmed by the NFL. Therefore, who would be the opponent for the Giants’ 17th game in the 2021 season?
Reports suggest that a decision has been made on how the 17th game opponent will be decided. The matchup will be an interconference matchup based on standings on a rotational basis.
Albert Breer reports that the divisional alignments for the 2021 season had already been set. According to Breer, the NFC East will face the AFC East for the 17th game. Therefore, the Giants’ opponent for their 17th game in 2020 would be the Miami Dolphins.
The New York Giants’ 2021 opponents
Here are the teams that the New York Giants will play against in the 2021 NFL season:
Home: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Football Team, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams
Road: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Football Team, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears
17th game (location TBD): Miami Dolphins
New York Giants’ strength of schedule for 2021
As we look ahead towards the 2021 NFL season, how does the Giants’ strength of schedule for 2021 shape up? The strength of schedule rankings are compiled from the 2020 records of the Giants’ 2021 opponents.
The Giants have one of the easiest schedules in 2021
The Giants’ 2021 strength of schedule ranks as the eighth-easiest in the league. They have the second-toughest schedule in the NFC East, but the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFC. Only the Washington Football Team has a tougher schedule than the Giants in the NFC East in 2021.
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Their games against the NFC East division helps make this one of the easiest schedules in the league. Those six games come against three teams who won a combined 17 of their 48 games in 2020. In total, the Giants will play six games against playoff teams from the 2020 season.
Six of those games include three teams that won double-digit games in 2020. Furthermore, two of those games will be against the two teams that competed in Super Bowl LV — the Chiefs and Buccaneers.
How does their schedule at home compare to their schedule on the road?
The Giants have a wide split in their home and road strength of schedule. The Giants’ 2021 opponents at MetLife stadium ranks as the second-easiest home schedule in the league. This is because the Cowboys host just one game against a team who won double-digit games in 2021.
However, their road schedule ranks as the eighth-toughest in the entire league. The Giants will have to travel to face five teams who made the playoffs last season: Chiefs, Bears, Buccaneers, Saints, and the Washington Football Team.
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