The Giants open the 2024 NFL season on Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings. And with three of their next four games on the road, Big Blue really needs to get its season off to a winning start.
Here are the biggest stories to watch…
Malik Nabers‘ NFL debut
The biggest bright spot for the Giants in the offseason has been Nabers. The sixth overall pick in April’s draft has looked uncoverable throughout training camp, as well as in joint practices and his limited preseason action.
Nabers is a big play threat and can extend drives by being someone who can go up and over a defensive back to catch contested passes. It gives Daniel Jones exactly the kind of weapon he lacked last season, and the Giants look set to build their offense around Nabers from day one as they move on from the Saquon Barkley era.
Veteran Stephon Gilmore signed with Minnesota just a few weeks ago — his fifth team in five seasons. However, he looks set to start along with Byron Murphy at cornerback on Sunday. If Nabers is matched up with Gilmore, he will be facing a wily veteran with plenty of experience, but who is perhaps past his prime athletically at 33.
Can the Giants pile on the pressure against Sam Darnold?
When rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, it ensured that Darnold would begin the season as the Vikings’ starter at the venue where he once helmed the Jets’ offense.
With Shane Bowen now their defensive coordinator, the Giants will operate a system with less blitzing, instead relying on their defensive linemen to win matchups and generate pressure. They’ve equipped themselves well for this, by making a blockbuster offseason trade for Brian Burns. Burns adds another dimension to a line that already features Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence and youngster Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is coming off an 11.5-sack season.
Darnold has traditionally struggled when under pressure, so the Giants’ defense will be aiming to get off the field on third down and create some turnover opportunities.
Will Daniel Jones be able to reestablish himself?
Jones is entering the second year of a four-year big-money deal, and he needs to live up to that in 2024, because the Giants can get out of the deal — or at least force him to take a significant pay cut — after this season.
As he made his return from a torn ACL during the preseason, Jones looked healthy and mobile in limited action, but there were signs of rust as he threw an ill-advised pick-six.
The Giants got off to a bad start last year with Jones at the helm, but that wasn’t all his fault. With better personnel around him, he must hit the ground running and perform at a high level.
How will New York slow down Justin Jefferson?
Jefferson is the Vikings’ biggest star and slowing him down will go a long way towards securing a Giants win. The veteran is an elite talent, but New York cornerback Deonte Banks has said he is embracing the challenge of trying to slow him down.
The Giants are thin at the cornerback position, but recently re-signed veteran Adoree’ Jackson has faced Jefferson in the past, and was able to give Banks some advice on how best to handle him.
Jackson could start on Sunday but may split time with either Nick McCloud or Cor’Dale Flott, each of whom was unable to lock down a starting role during the preseason. If Banks can hold his own against Jefferson, then the Vikings may look to pick on New York’s other cornerbacks instead — but at least that means they’d be throwing it to a less-established target.
Can the Giants’ new-look offensive line make an impact?
New York fortified its offensive line during the offseason by adding three experienced veterans with plenty of recent starting experience. Jon Runyan Jr. and Greg Van Roten look set to start at the guard positions on Sunday, with Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. These three will join recent high draft picks Andrew Thomas and John Michael Schmitz in the starting five.
With Evan Neal, who was considered a weak link last year, now relegated to the bench, the Giants can be more confident that they have a group that can build some cohesiveness and chemistry. There is also some additional positional flexibility now, in the event of injuries.
New York must protect Jones effectively, but will also need to run block more efficiently than last season because it can’t rely on Saquon Barkley to generate production with broken tackles and yards after contact now that he’s with the Philadelphia Eagles.
