The NFL Is Betting Big on John Harbaugh's Giants - and It May Blow Up Fast

For the past few years, the New York Giants have not been a team you want to watch, even if you’re a Giants fan.

Aside from some classic NFC East rivalry matchups, the Giants haven’t earned a spot in any marquee games or primetime showdowns.

That’s changing in 2026, however, as New York’s first two games of the season will be under the spotlight of the football world.

The Giants will open their season on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys at home before traveling across the country for a Monday night showdown against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

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It’s a gigantic vote of confidence from the league that the addition of John Harbaugh, along with other moves the Giants have made across the offseason, will make the young New York team worth watching.

While the Giants did produce some of the more exciting games last year behind rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, that spirited play stalled and eventually regressed in the final part of the season due to a mountain of injuries.

It’s a gamble by the league to bet on the Giants as more than they’ve been for the past decade, hoping that Dart continues to improve in his sophomore year under Harbaugh and that the return of wideout Malik Nabers will keep New York a fun team to watch, win or lose.

But it is a risk.

The last time the NFL fully put its marketing hand behind a New York team attempting to turn things around, that being the New York Jets with Aaron Rodgers, it ended in the worst-case scenario possible. Rodgers got injured instantly, the Jets were awful, and the viewing public was forced to watch a team that was finished before it reached the second weekend of the season.

For the NFL’s sake, they might want to ask Dart not to run out of the tunnel with an American flag this time around on opening night.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 4:07 PM.