Week 15 Sunday afternoon viewing guide for Giants fans

Two weeks ago at this time, the New York Giants were set to play the Washington Commanders at 1 p.m. ET in Week 15. Then the two teams tied in Week 13 and ramped the importance of their rematch to near-playoff levels. The NFL wasted no time in flexing the Week 15 game between the two 7-win NFC East teams to Sunday Night Football.

Not only does that mean we all have to stay up later than we might have anticipated on Sunday, but we now have about seven and a half hours on Sunday afternoon to fill while we wait for kickoff. So with that in mind, here’s a look at today’s games from a “Giants” perspective.

Early Games

Detroit Lions (6-7) at New York Jets (7-6)

CBS - 1 p.m.

This is probably the game of the day as far as Giants fans are concerned. Not only does it involve a team potentially vying for a play-off spot in the Detroit Lions, but also the Giants’ intra-city rival in the Jets.

The Lions are far from perfect, but they play hard and have a dangerous offense that’s capable of putting up points. The Jets, meanwhile, have been one of the big surprises of the season. They were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, but have put together a surprisingly good season. In an added twist, QB Mike White will not play and the Jets will be going back to 2021 second-overall pick Zach Wilson. White had proven to be a much more capable starter, despite the hype with which Wilson entered the NFL, White has proven to be the better player since Wilson was benched in November.

Dallas Cowboys (10-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8)

FOX - 1 p.m.

This is the other 1 p.m. game that could interest Giants fans. At least on paper, this game looks like a rout for the Cowboys. They’ve had one of the best offenses in the NFL since Dak Prescott returned, as well as one of the league’s best defenses. However, Dallas was very nearly beaten by the Houston Texans last week, and the Jaguars have improved considerably since the Giants saw them earlier in the year. Trevor Lawrence is playing much more like what we saw from him at Clemson, and that’s bad news for any team that faces the Jags.

Other 1 p.m. games

Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) at Chicago Bears (3-10)
FOX

Atlanta Falcons (5-8) at New Orleans Saints (4-9)
FOX

Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) at Houston Texans (1-11-1)
CBS

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8) at Carolina Panthers (5-8)
CBS

Late games

Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)

CBS - 4:25 p.m.

This is probably the game for Giants fans to watch in the second slate of afternoon games.

The Bengals have one of the best passing offenses in the NFL with Joe Burrow continuing to make objectively hard things look easy despite being one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. The Bengals are on a five-game winning streak, continuing to rack up points and wins even with Ja’Marr Chase missing four games with an injury.

Cincy is currently tied in record with the Baltimore Ravens, but are in second place in the AFC North thanks to their 2-3-0 divisional record.

The Buccaneers are currently a playoff team, but only because they play in the NFC South, where a 6-7 record is the best of the worst. Tampa has fallen off significantly from their play-off form after Bruce Arians stepped aside as head coach, Rob Gronkowski retired, Tom Brady un-retired, and their team was hit by injury. Tampa still has talent on their roster, but they’ve struggled in just about every phase of the game.

Other 4 p.m. games

Arizona Cardinals (4-9) at Denver Broncos (3-10)
FOX - 4:05 p.m.

New England Patriots (7-6) at Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)
FOX - 4:05 p.m.

Tennessee Titans (7-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-6)
CBS - 4:25 p.m.