Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll carry a .363 winning percentage into their fourth season running the Giants, a humbled organization that owns the NFL’s worst record (40-91, .305) since 2017.
So Schoen and Daboll are desperate for a quick start to 2025 after last year’s 3-14 disaster marred the franchise’s 100th season celebration.
They skidded to a 1-5 start in 2023 on their way to a 6-11 finish, and last year’s 1-3 stumble in the first four weeks snowballed into the release of Daniel Jones before Thanksgiving.
Wednesday’s league-wide schedule reveal, however, signaled that Giants fans probably will need to refuel their planes for more weekly flyovers at MetLife Stadium before Halloween.
The NFL seems to know it, too. The league scheduled the Giants for the bare minimum of three prime time games.
Here is the Daily News’ entire Giants schedule with predictions for their pivotal 2025 season:
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7 at Washington Commanders (1 p.m., FOX)
Get that Deebo Samuel anytime touchdown bet in before the odds drop to -1000. Russell Wilson won at Washington with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, but now he’s quarterbacking the Giants, who went 0-2 against last season’s Rookie of the Year.
Prediction: Commanders 24, Giants 9 (0-1)
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14 at Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m., FOX)
The Giants have lost eight straight to the Cowboys dating back to 2020. They’ve dropped 15 of their last 16 to Dallas going back to 2016. So there will be a day to pick them to beat the Cowboys and Dak Prescott. But it will not be this day.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Giants 15 (0-2)
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21 vs. Kansas City Chiefs (8:20 p.m., NBC)
Jameis Winston – if he’s still on the team – replaces Wilson to start the third quarter with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs up, 17-0, at half. Winston livens up the evening with a deep touchdown pass to Malik Nabers but concludes it with a pick-six.
Prediction: Chiefs 34, Giants 7 (0-3)
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Los Angeles Chargers (1 p.m., CBS)
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart makes his first start as Daboll pulls the fire alarm early to try to save his job. The jet-lagged Chargers start slow on the scoreboard, but their punishing brand of football wears the Giants down, despite some exciting scrambles from Dart. Harbaugh then outschemes Daboll during some critical moments in the fourth.
Prediction: Chargers 24, Giants 13 (0-4)
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5 at New Orleans Saints (1 p.m., CBS)
Daboll, still coaching the Giants after Dart showed moxie late against the Chargers, gets his first win of the season over rookie Saints coach Kellen Moore. Abdul Carter is finally able to tee off in some obvious, late pass rush situations in a close game. Former Saint Paulson Adebo picks off New Orleans rookie QB Tyler Shough. And Nabers has a solid game back in his home state.
Prediction: Giants 17, Saints 10 (1-4)
Week 6: Thursday, Oct. 9 vs. Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m., Prime Video)
The Giants trade Winston to New Orleans with Dart now in the lineup. But Saquon Barkley’s revenge tour continues with a prime time decimation of the Giants at MetLife Stadium. And Dart’s first home start is a dud as the Eagles’ pass rush overwhelms New York’s O-line.
Prediction: Eagles 35, Giants 6 (1-5)
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19 at Denver Broncos (4:05 p.m., CBS)
The Giants face their fourth top-4 2024 NFL defense in the season’s first seven weeks. Reigning defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain II and Denver first-round pick Jahdae Barron make it impossible for Dart to push the ball down field in a tough environment. And Daboll looks across the field longingly at what Sean Payton has built with Bo Nix.
Prediction: Broncos 23, Giants 9 (1-6)
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26 at Philadelphia Eagles (1 p.m., FOX)
Daboll goes back to Wilson seeking a spark with his job in jeopardy, but Barkley and the Eagles put the nail in the head coach’s coffin with two Cooper DeJean interceptions and a blowout in South Philadelphia. John Mara fires Daboll as player trade requests begin to leak out.
Prediction: Eagles 41, Giants 0 (1-7)
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2 vs. San Francisco 49ers (1 p.m., CBS)
Interim head coach Mike Kafka goes back to Dart as the Giants’ starting quarterback, and Kafka’s play calling unlocks better production from the rookie QB. The Giants still fall to the Niners, but Kafka at least gets the team to keep competing.
Prediction: 49ers 28, Giants 17 (1-8)
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9 at Chicago Bears (1 p.m., FOX)
The Giants count their blessings in avoiding Chicago’s deadly winter with an earlier trip to Soldier Field, and Shane Bowen’s pass rush has its first big game of the season against rookie coach Ben Johnson’s offense. Bears QB Caleb Williams turns the ball over three times. Dart manages the game smartly, and rookie back Cam Skattebo scores the go-ahead TD reception.
Prediction: Giants 17, Bears 14 (2-8)
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16 vs. Green Bay Packers (1 p.m., FOX)
First-team All-Pro Packers safety Xavier McKinney will be ready for revenge in this one. Oh, will he ever.
Prediction: Packers 23, Giants 10 (2-9)
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23 at Detroit Lions (1 p.m., FOX)
It will be difficult to even fly out to this one with a positive outlook. Jonathan Vilma calls his third of six Giants FOX games during another lost season cast far aside from prime time.
Prediction: Lions 34, Giants 13 (2-10)
Week 13: Monday, Dec. 1 at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
This will be Dart, whom the Giants traded up to draft, against Patriots QB Drake Maye, whom Schoen tried to trade up to draft the year prior. Mike Vrabel’s coaching has New England looking like a real football team again, but the Giants have just enough compared to the Patriots’ rebuilding roster to sneak by.
Prediction: Giants 19, Patriots 17 (3-10)
Week 14: Bye week
The over under on when Schoen or Daboll bring up the unfavorable late bye week is Aug. 1.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14 vs. Washington Commanders (1 p.m., FOX)
Kafka and Bowen are still getting their players to play hard, but Daniels and the Commanders are surging, playoff bound once again and determined to send a message.
Prediction: Commanders 27, Giants 14 (3-11)
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21 vs. Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m., FOX)
The Giants keep this slugfest close on a cold, dreary, rainy day in East Rutherford against J.J. McCarthy, whom Schoen passed on in the 2024 draft. But Minnesota wins on a late field goal to deflate New York for good.
Prediction: Vikings 13, Giants 10 (3-12)
Week 17: Sat. Dec. 27 or Sun. Dec. 28 at Las Vegas Raiders (TBD)
By this point, the Raiders might be starting Aidan O’Connell at QB and sitting rookie back Ashton Jeanty to keep him healthy for 2026 after missing the postseason again. Nabers tries to finish another lost eason strong. But the Giants can’t stop Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. And penalties do in Kafka’s team late in a high-scoring defeat.
Prediction: Raiders 30, Giants 29 (3-13)
Week 18: TBD vs. Dallas Cowboys (TBD)
Micah Parsons and the Cowboys hand the Giants their 10th straight defeat in this NFC East rivalry. The Giants finish a winless 0-6 in division for the second straight year. Mara retains Schoen for 2026, however, because the owner remains enamored with Schoen’s internal processes and infrastructure despite the team never winning any games. And the Giants hire Kevin Stefanski as head coach after he slips out of Cleveland’s mess for a fresh start.
Prediction: Cowboys 23, Giants 17 (3-14)
Final record: 3-14
