Giants draw four primetime games in Harbaugh's debut season

The New York Giants released their 2026 regular-season schedule on May 16, putting John Harbaugh’s first season as head coach on national television four times. The team said in its official schedule release that two of those primetime games will come in the first two weeks. The opener is a home game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 13, followed by a Monday night road game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 21. The Giants’ full schedule page and the NFL’s team schedule page list kickoff times, broadcast partners and ticket information. ### Which games put the Giants in primetime? The Giants’ 2026 schedule lists four standalone night games. Week 1 is Sunday Night Football against Dallas at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 13 at 8:20 p.m. EDT, and Week 2 is Monday Night Football at the Rams on Sept. 21 at 8:15 p.m. EDT. A Thursday Night Football home game against the Washington Commanders follows in Week 10 on Nov. 12 at 8:15 p.m. EST, and the final primetime appearance is a Week 16 Monday Night Football trip to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 28 at 8:15 p.m. (giants.com) EST. NFL.com separately highlighted the Giants-Cowboys opener as the first Sunday night game on the 2026 slate. The league’s football operations site said the full 2026 regular-season schedule was released on May 14. ### How unusual is the back-to-back start under Harbaugh? John Harbaugh will begin his Giants tenure with consecutive primetime games before the club reaches its first Sunday afternoon kickoff in Week 3. (giants.com) Giants.com said the two in a row to open the season are among the schedule’s main features. The team’s schedule page shows the first non-primetime game is Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. EDT against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium. (nfl.com) The Giants also tied the opener to Harbaugh’s first game as an NFL head coach. Giants.com said Harbaugh opened his Baltimore tenure on Sept. 7, 2008, with a home game against a division rival, and that his New York debut will again come at home against a division opponent. ### When did Harbaugh take over in New York? (giants.com) The Giants announced on Jan. 20, 2026, that Harbaugh had been hired as the franchise’s 21st head coach. The team said then that Harbaugh arrived after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title and compiling 180 regular-season wins there, which Giants.com described as the 14th-most in NFL history. (giants.com) Feb. 18 brought the rest of Harbaugh’s first Giants staff. The team said Matt Nagy was named offensive coordinator, Dennard Wilson defensive coordinator and Chris Horton special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. ### What does the rest of the schedule look like? (giants.com) The Giants’ 18-week regular-season slate includes nine home games, a Week 8 bye and an NFC East finish against Dallas and Philadelphia. After the bye, New York travels to Philadelphia in Week 9, hosts Washington in Week 10, and closes the season with a Jan. 3 road game at Dallas before a Week 18 home game against the Eagles. (giants.com) Week 18 is the one date without a set kickoff window. NFL.com said specific dates, start times and networks for Week 18 games will be announced after Week 17, under the league’s flexible scheduling procedures. ### Where can fans find tickets and the official dates? Giants.com has posted the full 2026 schedule with links for single-game tickets, parking and a printable calendar. (giants.com) The team’s schedule release page also directs fans to ticket information tied to each matchup. The preseason begins on Aug. 15 with a home game against the Minnesota Vikings, followed by road games at Miami on Aug. 22 and against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 28, according to the team schedule. (nfl.com) The regular season opens Sept. 13 against Dallas, and the Week 18 game against Philadelphia will receive its final date and time later in the year. (giants.com)