The Giants kick off their 100th season on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium against the Minnesota Vikings, beginning a pivotal campaign that should provide much-needed clarity on several important positions moving forward.
All eyes will be on quarterback Daniel Jones and how he performs in his first audition of the season. He will try to prove to GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll that he can be the franchise passer of the future.
Jones’ future, however, has been one of the largest talking points of the offseason and as well-documented of a storyline as any in the NFL. A few other first looks on Sunday afternoon will be just as important to the Giants’ hopes of success in 2024.
Giants vs. Vikings Week 1 viewing information, odds
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 8
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- TV: FOX
- Spread: Vikings -1.5 (via DraftKings)
- Over/Under: 41.5
- Giants Moneyline: +102
- Vikings Moneyline: -122
3 Giants storylines to watch in Week 1 vs. Vikings
It’s Devin Singletary’s backfield: The post-Saquon-Barkley era officially begins on Sunday and while the Giants might be haunted for years by their former All-Pro running back who joined the rival Philadelphia Eagles, team management has made it clear that the newly-acquired Singletary is the main fixture of New York’s backfield.
“He’s just a good running back,” Daboll said on Thursday. “You can use him on all three downs… You don’t have to sub him a bunch… I say he’s an all-purpose back for us.”
Singletary has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, but he will have an opportunity to do just that considering the volume of carries he is perceived to get this year. Granted, the unfair part of all this is that he will be compared to Barkley every step of the way.
“The outside might look at it that way because Saquon is a great back,” Singletary said. “He was here. This was his home for [six] years. So, of course, they might look at it that way. But for me, it’s playing ball, being here with my guys, and helping the team win any way I can. It’s doing what I’ve been doing my whole life, being myself. That got me this far, so I’m going to continue to do that.”
O-Line has only one direction to go: After a 2023 season in which the Giants’ offensive line allowed 85 sacks — the second-most in NFL history — Scheon went to work in revamping the porous unit.
Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, and Greg Van Roten are all new starters on the line to join John-MIchael Schmitz and Andrew Thomas. It has allowed the Giants to relegate the sputtering Evan Neal to the second string as the former top-10 pick continues to search for his footing at the pro level.
Early prognostications do not suggest a complete turnaround. Pro Football Focus has New York’s offensive line ranked 28th out of 32 teams.
A best-case scenario feels like a league-average unit, which would be a monumental step forward compared to last year. However, the name of the game remains simple: Keep Jones on his feet and open lanes for Singletary. Anything close to doing that consistently is a win for this unit.
Here come the kids: Jones’ No. 1 receiving target this season will be Malik Nabers — the star rookie who took No. 6 overall out of LSU at the draft back in April. The 21-year-old showed flashes of brilliance throughout training camp and the exhibition slate, already showing a decent rapport with Jones.
“I’m embracing it very well,” Nabers said of taking over No. 1 receiver responsibilities. “I’m excited to go out there. I’m excited to go catch some touchdowns and do what I can do to help the team, help the offense.”
He is one of a trio of young receivers that headline Jones’ targets. Wan’Dale Robinson is 23, and Jalin Hyatt is 22 — creating an exuberant, dynamic group that possesses big-play potential.
The Giants are the fourth-youngest team in the NFL this season with all six of their draft picks and two undrafted free agents making the 53-man roster.
Dru Phillips, taken No. 70 overall out of Kentucky, is going to be the Giants’ starting nickel corner while tight end Theo Johnson should get some looks at tight end backing up Daniel Bellinger. The Penn State product has the raw attributes to become a dominant receiving tight end, but it will be a work in progress.
“He’s pretty much like if you were to get on Madden and build a tight end, you would build Theo,” veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton said. “During this preseason he showed he has some wiggle. There’s really not much else you can want out of a tight end that Theo doesn’t have. I think his ceiling is about as high as anybody we have on the team, to be honest.”
