The New York Giants’ 2026 season kicks off in less than a month, and the time for blind excitement is now. With a new coach, a second-year quarterback, and returning stars, how good will this team be?
Looking ahead at the season, this is as good a time as any for a New York Giants record prediction.
The Giants open the season against a division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, on Sunday Night Football. Over the last 10 years, the Cowboys are 16-4 against the Giants.
New York won the final matchup on January 4th, 2026, breaking a nine-game losing streak against Dallas. That was the last game of the season, and both teams were already out of playoff contention.
If recent history is any indication, this is a difficult start for the Giants, but the following week may be even tougher.
New York will follow up the season opener by traveling to Los Angeles to face off with the Rams. LA is the current Super Bowl LXI favorite, with reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
The Giants will undoubtedly be the underdogs in both of these games. It’s a new era under head coach John Harbaugh, but as of now, it’s hard to predict either of these as a win. They’ll start the year 0-2.
After the first two weeks, the Giants’ schedule gets easier. They’ll face the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, and New Orleans Saints in consecutive weeks.
The Titans are rebuilding under an entirely new coaching staff, similar to the Giants. Both teams have a 2025 first-round quarterback, and both had top-five picks in the 2026 Draft.
The Cardinals are expected to be among the NFL’s worst teams. They’re looking to the 2027 Draft for a quarterback of the future, and could end up with a top-three pick in April.
The Commanders are interesting. They have a rising star at QB, but he was slowed down by injuries last year. The roster around Jayden Daniels is in a minor rebuild, and might not be as good as New York’s.
The Saints had a strong finish to their 2025 season. They won four of their last five games, and have begun building around second-year QB Tyler Shough. They surprised the Giants in Week 5 of last season, but it’s not unrealistic to expect the inverse this time.
The Giants will end the stretch with four straight wins, and a 4-2 record.
The Giants will go into Week 7 against the Houston Texans, one of the NFL’s best defenses.
It’s always possible that Houston’s offense continues to regress, and New York surprises them. With that being said, it’s hard to bet against a team that’s won at least 10 games in each of their last three seasons.
After the Week 8 bye, New York will face the Philadelphia Eagles. A thrilling Thursday night win last October proved that nothing is certain, but Philly bounced back two weeks later and knocked Big Blue back down to earth.
I predicted a Giants win over the Commanders in Week 5, and I’m predicting a sweep in Week 10. A loss to Houston and Philly, and a bounce-back against Washington will result in a 5-4 record.
In Weeks 11 and 12, the Giants will continue through the AFC South, facing the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
Jacksonville was impressive last year and won its division with a 13-4 record. If Liam Coen continues to shine in his second year as head coach, the Giants will fall to a 5-5 record.
Whether or not New York comes off a loss in Week 11, the following matchup will be personal. Daniel Jones is entering his second year as the Colts’ QB and will face his former team in his new home.
After the Giants unceremoniously moved on from Jones, he’ll bring fire to this one. The Colts were two different teams last year. They started the season with an 8-2 record and lost every game after that.
Jones is coming off a torn Achilles, but he’ll undoubtedly be back to full strength by November 29th. His track record of coming back strong from injuries is not great, and the Colts will lose this game.
New York will end this run with a 6-5 record, just staying above .500.
New York faces the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. This game is extremely hard to predict given the Niners’ injury history. They could be a bona fide Super Bowl contender, or an injury-riddled mess.
If I’m accurate in predicting New York having a winning record to this point, a win isn’t out of the question. I’m erring on the side of San Francisco staying healthy, though, and predicting a fall to 6-6 for New York.
Following a loss to the Niners, New York will head to Seattle and face the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks. Seattle’s defense was among the best in the NFL last year, and will likely stay that way. Regardless of Big Blue’s improvements, I can’t bet against the champs. We’ll be looking at a 6-7 record.
New York will go back up to 7-7 with a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. Harbaugh’s former offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, is now Cleveland’s head coach, making this an interesting reunion.
The Browns are still uncertain at the QB position, and now without Myles Garrett. They’re worse off than they were a year ago; the same can’t be said for New York.
Going into Week 16 with seven wins would already be an achievement for the Giants. After a four-win season in 2025, they’ll nearly double their win total.
The Lions, much like the Niners, are a tough team to predict. They were vying for the top seed in the NFC just two years ago, but fell to 9-8 in 2025. This is a toss-up right now, but I’ll give Detroit the edge, resulting in a 7-8 record for Big Blue.
New York closes out the year with rematches against the Cowboys and the Eagles. These games heavily depend on playoff implications. I don’t expect the Giants to get swept in the NFC East, and they’ll beat Dallas.
With an 8-8 record, it’s hard to imagine New York will have a shot at the Playoffs. I expect the Rams, Seahawks, Niners, Eagles, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and an obligatory NFC South team to make the cut.
With nothing to play for, and Philly already locked into a playoff spot, the Giants will get a win against the backup birds.
My prediction for the Giants is 9-8 this season. I don’t see them winning 10 games in Harbaugh’s first year, and that’s not a bad thing.
It’s extremely possible to see New York get swept by Dallas and Philly if Weeks 17 and 18 are consequential for the latter two teams. They have won more than six games only once since 2016; seven wins should be the minimum this year.
New York is surrounded by questions ahead of the season. Jaxson Dart’s second year will be extremely important under a new head coach. Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo are set to return, which will strengthen the offense as a whole. With two top 10 draft picks and a revamped staff, the Giants are on the right side of a rebuild. It’s time for results to show on the field.
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