After two long months without football, NFL fans are already looking forward to the next season. Unfortunately, the first preseason game of the year between the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys won’t be played until August 3, 2017. This falls on the Thursday after the Hall of Fame induction weekend. It’s only 112 days away, but who’s counting? Although these games won’t be taken as seriously for the starters, it’s an excellent opportunity to project how rookies and other new signings will play in the season to come. For the New York Giants, there will be many familiar faces in this year’s schedule. Let’s take a closer look at these upcoming matchups with a preseason preview.
New York Giants 2017 Preseason Preview
Week One: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Date/Time TBD)
The Giants look to start the preseason off with an unofficial rematch against the Steelers, a team they lost to 24-14 in Week 13 of the 2016 regular season. This will be the third preseason game between the teams in the past five years. This frequent matchup should be interesting to watch this time around, as Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger play in what could potentially be the last meeting between the two quarterbacks.
Manning and Roethlisberger were both a part of the historic 2004 Draft class. These two went on to make history by being the only draft class to have two quarterbacks each win multiple Super Bowls. That’s a lot of bling between the two. Clearly, this reunion could the last of another era in the NFL.
Week Two: at Cleveland Browns (8/21, 8:00 PM/ET)
As of now, only a handful of the preseason games have set dates and times. One of these happens to be this Monday night matchup between the Giants and Browns. Watching these two head coaches square off is something to look forward to, as both are starting their sophomore seasons.
Ben McAdoo and Hue Jackson were actually both candidates to replace Tom Coughlin as head coach of the New York Giants when he left back in 2016. Ultimately, McAdoo ended up with the position and Jackson took over the Browns, looking to turn the franchise around. With a stockpile of picks in this year’s draft, the Browns could potentially be a legitimate threat. What better way for the Giants to prepare for the start of the season than to compete with some young, up and coming talent.
Week Three: vs. New York Jets (Date/Time TBD)
This next matchup should come as no surprise. For the past 49 years, the Giants have played the Jets every preseason, usually around the third week. This is one of the more unique traditions in preseason football and is dubbed as the “Snoopy Bowl” or “MetLife Bowl” by fans.
While it’s still only a preseason game, it gives players on both sides something to prove. Especially this year, where former Jets’ players like Brandon Marshall and Geno Smith have decided to trade in their green and white linens in the hopes that blue and red fits them better. The same goes for Damon Harrison who left the Jets last season and moved on to become an impact player for this Giants defense. These recent signings give both teams more reason to play, and state-wide fans even more reason to watch.
Week Four: at New England Patriots (Date/Time TBD)
On the tenth season anniversary of their first Super Bowl against each other, the Giants will travel to New England to face the defending Super Bowl champions for the fourth and final week of the preseason. While the game times aren’t fully announced, based on prior scheduling it’s likely that this game is played on August 31st, the final Thursday Night Football game of the preseason.
This game also marks the 13th consecutive year in which these teams face off against one another in the preseason. This only expands the rivalry these franchises have developed over the last decade. Although it’s nice seeing both teams face off, it’s unlikely that primary starters will play for long, or even at all. With the season opener a week away, coaches and personnel want to eliminate the chance of injuring an impact player.
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