Takeaways from the Giants’ 2023 schedule

The New York Giants 2023 schedule has not been officially released yet, however leaks and rumors have been circulating.

Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com has been talking to sources and collecting those rumors to put together an unofficial Giants schedule. We won’t know how accurate this schedule is until the official release at 8pm tonight. But for now, this is the best guest at what the Giants’ schedule will look like this year.

What can we takeaways can we glean from the (unofficial) schedule?

Unofficial Schedule

Week 1 (Sunday, Sept. 10) — vs. Dallas Cowboys (SNF)*
Week 2 (Sunday, Sept. 17) — at Arizona Cardinals (1:05 p.m.)
Week 3 (Thursday, Sept. 21) — at San Francisco 49ers (TNF)
Week 4 (Monday, Oct. 2) — vs. Seattle Seahawks (MNF)
Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 8) — at Miami Dolphins
Week 6 (Sunday, Oct. 15) — at Buffalo Bills (SNF)
Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 22) — at Washington Commanders
Week 8 (Sunday, Oct. 29) — vs. New York Jets
Week 9 (Sunday, Nov. 5) — at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 10 (Sunday, Nov. 12) — at Dallas Cowboys
Week 11 (Sunday, Nov. 19) — vs. Washington Commanders
Week 12 (Sunday, Nov. 26) — vs. New England Patriots
Week 13 — BYE
Week 14 (Monday, Dec. 11) — vs. Green Bay Packers (MNF, 8:15 p.m, ABC)
Week 15 (Sunday, Dec. 17) — at New Orleans Saints
Week 16 (Monday, Dec. 25) — at Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m., FOX)*
Week 17 (Sunday, Dec. 31) — vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 18 (Sunday, Jan. 7) — vs. Eagles

Takeaways

The first thing we need to keep in mind that none of this is official yet, and won’t be until 8 p.m. Thursday night. These are rumors, there’s always smoke, and things can get confused when playing telephone.

But with all that in mind, what can we take away from the (unofficial) schedule?

The NFL is betting on Giants’ fans excitement

The Giants have five prime time games and their Christmas game, so they’ll be on national TV for a third of their season. The NFL obviously believes that Giants fans will be tuning in and making those games likely to be highly rated. The NFL has had a problem with disappointing prime time games in recent years, so they’re also very much hoping that the Giants’ match-ups against the Cowboys, 49ers, Seahawks, Bills, Packers, and Eagles will produce some good football.

A very even schedule

Last year the Giants’ schedule had clear stretches of winnable games as well as stretches of obviously tough match-ups. This year, the schedule looks much more even, with no “murderer’s row” stretches, nor any cake-walks. The closest we can come to a “cruise” stretch of games is around the Giants’ Week 13 bye, but we shouldn’t count the Commanders, Patriots, Packers, or Saints as easy wins.

The flip side of that is that there aren’t any stretches of games that seem particularly likely to put the Giants in a skid. They have games against the Bills, 49ers, and Eagles, but not in a group that could bludgeon the team and put them in a hole — though the four games from Week 3 to Week 6 (49ers, Seahawks, Dolphins, Bills) could get hairy.

Small favors

The schedule makers did do the Giants a couple favors (if this is the way their schedule shakes out).

Giving the Giants road games against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in consecutive games will allow the team to make two fewer cross-country trips than if they had Likewise, making those game in the first three weeks of the season could give the Giants a massive personnel advantage. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray tore his ACL in Week 13 of the 2022 season and his status for the beginning of the season is unknown. And while the Cardinals are beginning a rebuild, Murray has been a problem for the Giants in the past.

Likewise, 49ers quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Trey Lance are both recovering from surgeries as well. Lance broke his ankle in Week 2, which has required a pair of surgeries to repair. Purdy emerged late in the season and while it’s a small sample size, he was one of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL over the seven starts prior to his injury (two of which came in the playoffs). Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his eighth start, putting the start of the 2023 season in doubt. Kyle Shanahan mentioned Thursday (May 11th), that Purdy is now expected back for the start of the 49ers training camp. While it looks like San Francisco could have a true quarterback battle on their hands, we don’t know for sure just how ready either quarterback will be for the season.

The Giants also get an extended psuedo bye week to start the season, with Thursday Night Football followed by Monday Night Football. The extra day will reduce the impact from their return from the West Coast.

The Giants do get a late (Week 13) bye this year, but that’s surrounded by three straight home games, giving them a full month without having to go on the road. That should give them a chance to manage fatigue before heading into the final stretch of the season.