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eViL
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2008 Schedule Released!
Giants have four prime-time games scheduled
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com
APRIL 15, 2008
EAST RUTHERFORD - The previously-announced Thursday night opener with Washington, prime-time road games against NFC East rivals Philadelphia and Dallas, and a late-season three-game stretch against division foes highlight the Super Bowl champion Giants’ 2008 regular season schedule, which was released today.
Tom Coughlin’s fifth season as head coach will begin with the traditional Thursday night season opener hosted by the Super Bowl champions when the Giants meet the Redskins on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. The time was moved from the standard 8:30 kickoff because of the Republican National Convention.
The game against the Redskins is the only one of their four scheduled night games that will be played at home. They will play a Monday night game at Cleveland on Oct. 13 and Sunday night games at Philadelphia (Nov. 9) and in Dallas (Dec. 14). One or two late-season games could be shifted to prime time under the NFL’s flexible schedule policy.
“It’s a very, very challenging schedule,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “Week-in and week-out, we will be challenged by outstanding opponents. We have four prime time games, which our team will look forward to with great anticipation. We begin the season against Washington, a division opponent, and face a big challenge with four of our last six games on the road.
“Certainly, each game is an exceptional challenge. We have back-to-back-to-back games against our division opponents in November and December. We play the AFC North, which I think is a division with four very good teams. Our team must work very hard to prepare for the task ahead of us.”
Some highlights form the Giants’ 2008 schedule:
*The Giants play six games against 2007 playoff teams: two each versus Dallas and Washington and one apiece against Seattle and Pittsburgh.
*The Giants will attempt to win their 12th consecutive game away from Giants Stadium – and eighth in the regular season – when they visit St. Louis on Sept. 14. The Giants won their last 10 road games in 2007, including the playoffs, which set NFL single-season records for road wins and consecutive road victories. The Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over New England is not included in the streak of road victories since it was a neutral site contest.
The San Francisco 49ers hold the NFL record with 19 straight victories on the road from 1988-90.
*The Giants play back-to-back games at home just once, though they are separated by the bye. They host Cincinnati on Sept. 21, are off on the 28th, then host Seattle on Oct. 5
*Four of the first six and five of the Giants’ first eight games are at home.
*This is the second time in three seasons the Giants have their bye after the third regular season game. They were 1-2 at the break in 2006. Last year, their bye was right at midseason, after the eighth game of the year against Miami in London.
*The Giants play consecutive road games only once, on Nov. 23 (at Arizona) and Nov. 30 (at Washington).
*The Giants will play NFC East rivals Washington, Philadelphia and Dallas in a row from Nov. 30-Dec. 14. This is the first time the Giants will play three consecutive games versus division foes since they played four straight from Oct. 22-Nov. 11, 2001, when they lost to the Eagles and Redskins, then beat Dallas and Arizona (which was playing its final season in the NFC East). Ironically, that was the Giants' last post-Super Bowl season.
*The Giants regular season finale will be played at Minnesota on Dec. 28. It is the third time in four years they will finish the season on the road.
*The Giants will make their first regular season visits to two stadiums this season. They will play defending AFC North champion Pittsburgh in Heinz Field on Oct. 26 and the Cardinals in University of Phoenix Stadium on Nov. 23. The latter stadium was the site of their victory over New England in Super Bowl XLII.
*The Giants will open their preseason schedule on Saturday night, Aug. 9 against the Panthers in Charlotte. They will then have nine days off before facing the Browns in Giants Stadium on Monday night, Aug. 18. On Saturday, Aug. 23, the Giants will be the visitors against in their annual preseason game against the Jets. Both of those games are scheduled for 8 p.m. The Giants will conclude their preseason schedule with a Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots on Thursday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m.
*The kickoff times for seven of the Giants’ second-half games – including the night game in Dallas - will be subject to the NFL’s flexible schedule policy.
The season again will utilize flexible scheduling in Weeks 11-17.
In those weeks, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday night on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game will be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights.
A flexible scheduling move will be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the change may be announced six days before the game. Flexible scheduling was designed to ensure quality matchups on Sunday night in those weeks and give “surprise” teams a chance to play their way onto primetime.
The seven Giants games that could have their kickoff times changed are vs. Baltimore on Nov. 16 (currently listed as a 1 p.m. start), at Arizona on Nov. 23 (4:15), at Washington on Nov. 30 (1 p.m.), vs. Philadelphia on Dec. 7 (1 p.m.), at Dallas on Dec. 14 (8:15 p.m.), vs. Carolina on Dec. 21 (1 p.m.), and at Minnesota on Dec. 28 (1 p.m.).
Arizona Cardinals
University of Phoenix Stadium
November 23, *4:15 p.m., FOX
The Giants lead the series, 78-41-2. The teams last met on Sept. 11, 2005, a 42-19 Giants victory in Giants Stadium. The Cardinals won the previous meetings in Arizona: 21-7 on Sept. 29, 2002 and 17-14 on Nov. 14, 2004. The latter was the last Giants game in which Eli Manning did not start at quarterback. Both of those games were in Sun Devil Stadium. Since 2006, the Cardinals have played their home games in University of Phoenix Stadium, the site of the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII victory over New England. From 1950 to 2001, the Giants and Cardinals faced each other twice every season except 1968 and 1982, when they met once. Because of the Cardinals’ move to the NFC West, the teams did not meet in 2003, the first season in which they did not play each since 1945. The two teams first met in 1926, when the Cardinals were located in Chicago. The series continued when the Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960. The Cardinals franchise moved to Arizona in 1988.
Baltimore Ravens
Giants Stadium
Sunday, November 16, *1:00 p.m., CBS
The Giants are 0-2 against the Ravens in the regular season, losing 24-23 at home on Sept. 14, 1997 and 31-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 12, 2004. Baltimore also defeated the Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV on Jan. 28, 2001 in Tampa. Except for 2005, the teams met in the preseason every year from 1996-2007. The Ravens lead that series, 6-5.
Carolina Panthers
Giants Stadium
Sunday, December 21, *1:00 p.m., FOX
The Giants trail in the regular season series, 2-1, but won the most recent meeting, on Dec. 10, 2006 in Charlotte, 27-13. The Panthers won the teams’ only previous regular season game in Giants Stadium, 37-24, on Dec. 28, 2003. Carolina also defeated the Giants, 23-0, on Jan. 8, 2006, in an NFC Wild Card Game in Giants Stadium. The Giants and Panthers first met on Nov. 10, 1996, a 27-17 Panthers victory in what was then called Ericsson Stadium. The teams also meet in this year’s opening preseason game. Carolina leads the preseason series, 5-1. The Panthers are coached by John Fox, who was the Giants’ defensive coordinator from 1997-2001.
Cincinnati Bengals
Giants Stadium
Sunday, September 21, 1:00 p.m., CBS
The Giants trail in their series with the Bengals, 5-2 – they are 2-0 in Giants Stadium and 0-5 in Cincinnati. The teams last met on Dec. 26, 2004, a 23-22 Bengals victory in Paul Brown Stadium. The Giants defeated the Bengals at home on Oct. 26, 1997 (29-27) and Dec. 11, 1994 (27-20). The Bengals won the first four games in the series, all in Cincinnati, in 1972, '77, '85 and '91.
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns Stadium
Monday, October 13, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
The Giants trail in the regular season series, 25-19-2, including a 10-13 record in Cleveland. The postseason series is tied, 1-1. From 1950-69, the Giants and Browns had one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries, playing each other twice each season (except for 1968). Since the Browns moved to the AFC in the 1970 merger, they have played each other only seven times. The Giants have a four-game winning streak in the series, including two victories in Cleveland (24-3 on Nov. 5, 2000 and 16-13 on Dec. 4, 1994). The teams last faced each other on Sept. 26, 2004, a 27-10 Giants victory in Giants Stadium. The Giants and Browns will meet in a nationally-televised
preseason game on Aug. 18 in Giants Stadium.
Dallas Cowboys
Giants Stadium: Sunday, November 2, 4:15 p.m., FOX
Texas Stadium: Sunday, December 14, *8:15 p.m., NBC
The Giants trail in the regular season series, 54-35-2. In 2007, Dallas won both regular season games, 45-35 on Sept. 9 in Texas Stadium, and 31-20 on Nov. 11 in Giants Stadium. But the Giants earned a measure of revenge with a 21-17 victory on Jan. 13 in an NFC Divisional Playoff Game in Dallas, their only postseason meeting ever with the Cowboys. The previous two seasons, the teams split the season series. Both teams won on the road in 2006; the Giants defeated the Cowboys at Dallas 36-22 on Oct. 23 and the Cowboys beat the Giants 23-20 at Giants Stadium on Dec. 3. In 2005, each team won at home, with the Cowboys taking a 16-13 overtime decision on Oct. 16 and the Giants earning a 17-10 triumph on Dec. 4. The Giants last swept the season series in 2004, by defeating the Cowboys, 26-10, at Texas Stadium and 28-24 in the season finale in Giants Stadium. In games played in Giants Stadium, the Giants hold a 17-14 advantage over the Cowboys. The Giants are 15-30-1 in Dallas, including 11-24 in Texas Stadium. The Giants have swept the season series 10 times, while Dallas has 18 series sweeps.
Minnesota Vikings
The Metrodome
Sunday, December 28, *1:00 p.m., FOX
The Giants trail in the regular season series, 11-8, but lead the postseason series, 2-1. The Giants are 4-4 in Minnesota, including 4-1 in the Metrodome, where they won games in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Vikings won in Giants Stadium in 2005 and on Nov. 25, 2007 (41-17), extending the visiting team’s winning streak in the series to five games. All three postseason games between the teams were played in Giants Stadium, including the Giants’ 41-0 victory in the 2000 NFC Championship Game.
Philadelphia Eagles
Lincoln Financial Field: Sunday, November 9, 8:15 p.m., NBC
Giants Stadium: Sunday, Dec. 7, *1:00 p.m., FOX
The Giants lead the regular season series, 78-66-2, which began in 1933, and the postseason series, 2-1. The Giants have won five of their last six regular season games against the Eagles, including three in a row in Philadelphia. In 2007, the Giants swept the season with a 16-3 victory in Giants Stadium on Sept. 30th and a 16-13 triumph in Philadelphia on Dec. 9th. The Giants split the series with the Eagles in 2006, with both teams winning on the road. The Giants defeated the Eagles, 30-24 in overtime, on Sept. 17 and the Eagles won, 36-22, at Giants Stadium on Dec. 17. Philadelphia also beat the Giants in an NFC Wild Card Game in Lincoln Financial Field, 23-20. In the 23 Giants-Eagles regular season series since 1985, 20 have ended with one team sweeping the other. The Giants won both games in 1985, '86, '87, '93, '94, '97-2000, 2005 and 2007 (11 sweeps). Philadelphia swept the series in 1988, '89, '91, '92, '95, '96, 2001, 2003 and 2004 (nine sweeps). The teams split their season series in 1990, 2002 and 2006. The Giants are 15-17 in regular season games against the Eagles in Giants Stadium. They are 3-2 in Lincoln Financial Field.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Heinz Field
Sunday, October 26, 4:15 p.m., FOX
The Giants lead the series, 43-28-3, which began in 1933. The teams met every season from 1933 through 1969, except when the series was interrupted by World War II in 1943 and '44. Since the Steelers moved to the AFC in the 1970 merger they have played only seven times, five in Giants Stadium and two in Pittsburgh. The Giants lost the most recent meeting, a 33-30 decision in New Jersey on Dec. 18, 2004. This is the Giants’ first visit to Heinz Field and first visit to Pittsburgh since Oct. 14, 1991, when the Giants defeated the Steelers, 23-20, in a Monday night game in Three Rivers Stadium.
St. Louis Rams
Edward Jones Dome
Sunday, September 14, 1:00 p.m., FOX
The Giants trail in the regular season series, 25-12. The postseason series is tied, 1-1. The Giants have won the last three meetings: 26-21 on Sept. 15, 2002 in St. Louis and 23-13 on Sept. 7, 2003 and 44-24 on Oct. 2, 2005 in Giants Stadium. The first of those triumphs broke a five-game losing streak in the series. The Giants last lost to the Rams on Oct. 14, 2001, in the Edwards Jones Dome, a 15-14 decision. The Giants will visit St. Louis for the first time since their 2002 triumph.
San Francisco 49ers
Giants Stadium
Sunday, October 19, 1:00 p.m., FOX
The 49ers will visit Giants Stadium for the second year in a row. The regular season series, which dates to 1952, is tied, 13-13. The Giants trail in the postseason series, 4-3. The Giants have won the last two games in the series. They defeated the 49ers, 33-15, last Oct. 21 and 24-6 in San Francisco on Nov. 6, 2005. The Giants’ win in 2005 broke San Francisco’s six-game winning streak in the series (including two postseason games). The Giants are 5-5 against the 49ers in regular season games in Giants Stadium.
Seattle Seahawks
Giants Stadium
Sunday, October 5, 1:00 p.m., FOX
The Giants lead the series against the Seahawks, 7-5, and have lost the last two games, both in Qwest Field: 24-21 in overtime on Nov. 27, 2005 and 42-30 on Sept. 24, 2006. The Giants last hosted and last defeated the Seahawks on Sept. 22, 2002, a 9-6 victory. That is still the last Giants game in which neither team scored a touchdown. The Giants are 5-1 against the Seahawks in Giants Stadium.
Washington Redskins
Giants Stadium: Thursday, September 4, 7:00 p.m., NBC
FedEx Field: Sunday, November 30, *1:00 p.m., FOX
The Giants have played the Redskins every year since 1932 and lead the regular season series, 85-61-4. The postseason series is tied, 1-1. The Giants have faced the Redskins 150 times in the regular season, making this their most frequently-contested rivalry. In 2007, the teams split the series with both teams winning on the road. The Giants defeated the Redskins in FedEx Field on Sept. 23, 24-17, but lost the Dec. 16 rematch in Giants Stadium, 22-10. In 2006, the Giants swept the series for the first time since 2002, 19-3 at Giants Stadium on Oct. 8 and 34-28 in the season finale in Washington on Dec. 30. The Giants have swept the season series with the Redskins 27 times. They are 20-12 against the Redskins in Giants Stadium and 5-5-1 in FedEx Field.
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4/26/2008 1:25 AM
