New York Giants Schedule: Tough Slate Fitting for Defending Champions

It's only fitting that the defending NFL champions would have the most challenging schedule this season.

The New York Giants, coming off of an "upset" of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, have a strength of schedule of .547 in 2012—highest in the league—and their slate reflects that.

Mike Garafolo of the New Jersey Star-Ledger unveiled the Giants' 2012 schedule on Tuesday, and it was a sight to behold.

In 2012, the Giants open against the Dallas Cowboys, then eventually face the Philadelphia Eagles (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, rising Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens. That's not to mention an improved Washington Redskins team, who will likely draft Baylor star quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Keep in mind, the Giants had a SOS of .492 last season, tied for 19th-highest in the NFL. While they were able to sneak into the playoffs en route to a championship last season, they are most certainly going to have to play well throughout the upcoming season to do the same. A 9-7 finish may still get them into the playoffs, but they will need to play much better in the regular season to even match that in 2012.

Of course, this should be the price you pay for winning a Super Bowl. If you are the best in the world, then you should play the best in the world.

Fortunately for the Giants, they still have Eli Manning, a solid receiving corps and a defensive line that strikes fear in even the most bold contenders. They also have a first-round pick this year.

The Giants have the ability to make the postseason in 2012 and go on another title run, but they must be consistent from the very beginning this time around.

Follow me on Twitter. We can talk about the New York Football Giants together.