2015 New York Giants Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The New York Giants are not that far removed from two Super Bowl championships behind quarterback Eli Manning, but a 6-10 campaign in 2014 was a major disappointment. The team and its fans are certainly looking for more in 2015, and the schedule New York must navigate has been released.

The Giants responded to a difficult season with a handful of noteworthy moves during the offseason and brought in guard Geoff Schwartz, running back Shane Vereen and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, among others.

While those additions will undoubtedly help, New York also cut ties with defensive linemen Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Linval Joseph.

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports seemed to like the Giants' moves, giving them a grade of B+ early in the offseason:

"

The Giants added a lot of players and only two big-ticket players in guard Geoff Schwartz and corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Both will start, and center J.D. Walton will likely start at center. That's two starters on the offensive line, which is huge. I also like the signing of corner Walter Thurmond. I don't like paying backs, but Rashad Jennings gives them some depth. They also re-signed several of their own, including starting linebacker Jon Beason and brought back receiver Mario Manningham. 

"

While winning the offseason is one thing, New York has to turn in more wins on the actual field after a lackluster effort in 2014. Here is the schedule it will face in 2015:

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV
1	Sunday, Sept. 13	at Dallas Cowboys	8:30 p.m.	NBC
2	Sunday, Sept. 20	vs. Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.	Fox
3	Thursday, Sept. 24	vs. Washington	8:25 p.m.	CBS/NFL Network
4	Sunday, Oct. 4	at Buffalo Bills	1 p.m.	Fox
5	Sunday, Oct. 11	vs. San Francisco 49ers	8:30 p.m.	NBC
6	Monday, Oct. 19	at Philadelphia Eagles	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
7	Sunday, Oct. 25	vs. Dallas Cowboys	4:25 p.m.	Fox
8	Sunday, Nov. 1	at New Orleans Saints	1 p.m.	Fox
9	Sunday, Nov. 8	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4:05 p.m.	Fox
10	Sunday, Nov. 15	vs. New England Patriots	4:25 p.m.	CBS
11	BYE WEEK
12	Sunday, Nov. 29	at Washington	1 p.m.	Fox
13	Sunday, Dec. 6	vs. New York Jets	1 p.m.	CBS
14	Monday, Dec. 14	at Miami Dolphins	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
15	Sunday, Dec. 20	vs. Carolina Panthers	1 p.m.	Fox
16	Sunday, Dec. 27	at Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.	Fox
17	Sunday, Jan. 3	vs. Philadelphia Eagles	1 p.m.	Fox

Analysis

The first games that always jump out with the release of a new Giants schedule are the showdowns with the rest of the NFC East.

Games against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington will likely define how the 2015 campaign unfolds, especially if New York can take care of business at home and win at least one of them on the road.

Elsewhere, the Giants will play the AFC East in their interconference dates. Most notably, that means a showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, which will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination. Still, any Giants fan would point to the previous two Super Bowls the team played against Tom Brady as evidence that New York can hang with the all-time great.

Other than the showdown with the Patriots, there isn’t much that inspires fear from the AFC East.

Yes, the Buffalo Bills made a number of splashy moves in the offseason, but they still need to prove themselves in the quarterback department. The New York Jets game is a big one because of the local angle, and the Miami Dolphins have enough talent to compete, but there are plenty of more difficult divisions the Giants could have faced from the AFC than the East.

New York also plays the NFC South, which was arguably the worst division in football last year. Not a single team from the division finished with even a .500 record, so it will be important for the Giants to pick up some ground in those contests.

Manning and company also get the San Francisco 49ers at the perfect time after an extended run of impressive showings in recent seasons. There was plenty of attrition this offseason in San Francisco, and the 49ers likely won’t contend for the playoffs barring a surprise.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

While there are some winnable games here, the key for the entire season for New York will be an improvement on the defensive side of the ball. 

In 2014, the Giants were 30th against the run, 18th against the pass, 29th in total defense and 22nd in scoring defense. A repeat performance in the defensive category would be a major issue since the Giants have to face the uptempo Eagles attack, a formidable Dallas offense with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, Brady and company and Drew Brees in the Superdome.

Pivotal Matchups

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

As mentioned, the most important games for the Giants in any season are always going to be the divisional contests. Showdowns with Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington are all seen as rivalry games and will dictate who goes to the playoffs from the NFC East.

Manning discussed the connection he feels with division rival and fellow quarterback Romo last season, per Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press (h/t The Journal News):

"

Obviously there are only so many quarterbacks who have been in one franchise for this long, have had the ups and downs and different things…I obviously have a brother who I chat with a little bit about that, but Tony, any time you're in the same division with a quarterback for whatever it's been now, eight years together, seven years, there's definitely a little bond there.

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Elsewhere, the matchup with the Patriots will turn heads because of the Super Bowl angle. Brady lost two rings to Manning in head-to-head showdowns, and New England is always a marquee team that draws headlines. The game against the Giants in 2015 will be no different.

The clash with the Jets also qualifies as a pivotal matchup, but more for the fans' sake than anything else. It is a game against an AFC team that won’t impact the playoffs nearly as much as some other ones, but bragging rights are still important.

Elsewhere, there will be wild-card implications in games against the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and possibly the Minnesota Vikings.

How New York performs in those contests will go a long way toward determining where it stands in January.