byJohn Schmeelk,Dan Salomone&Matt Citak

The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 is the most interesting home game.

John Schmeelk: FictionThere's Dan using an adjective that's rather subjective and makes this question a bit more "interesting" than it might appear on the surface. If a Giants fan asked me to pick one game for them to attend this year, I would tell them to go to the Chiefs game. With eight years between home games vs. AFC teams, it might be the last time we see Patrick Mahomes at MetLife Stadium, and almost certainly the last time we will see Travis Kelce, Andy Reid, and probably Chris Jones. But I wouldn't call the game interesting. I know exactly what I'm getting. I have this down to either the 49ers in Week 9 or the Vikings in Week 16. Both teams have excellent offensive-minded coaches. The 49ers had a down year last season and I'm curious to see with better health if they can be contenders again. But it's the Vikings that really have me interested. They walked away from a very productive quarterback in Sam Darnold to hand the reins to second year player J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. I'm very "interested" to see how he is playing and what Kevin O'Connell has that offense looking in Week 16.

Dan Salomone: FictionI'm looking at a game a little later in the season, once teams get their footing. Week 11 vs. Green Bay is sandwiched in between trips to Chicago and Detroit, two other NFC North teams. Brian Daboll is 2-0 against the Packers as head coach, and both games went down to the wire. Meanwhile, the game will be part of an eight-week stretch in which the Giants have just two home outings.

Matt Citak: FactThe home opener always tends to be one of the more interesting and exciting games each year. Then you add in the fact that it will be Patrick Mahomes' first ever game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium, in addition to Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs coming off three straight trips to the Super Bowl. This matchup has all of the ingredients for a fascinating home game, especially if the Giants can grab a victory on the road against one of their two divisional opponents to start the season. And who knows, maybe a certain mega pop star will make an appearance in the stands.

Broncos in Week 7 is the most interesting road game.

John Schmeelk: FictionDenver is an interesting team with a great defense, offensive line and improved weapons around a second-year quarterback who played well as a rookie in Bo Nix. But there is not enough star power on that roster to take the win here. I thought about picking the Cowboys here since they are fielding a first-time head coach and new coordinators on both sides of the ball. It's also extremely important for the Giants to finally start beating Dak Prescott. The opener is also interesting with there always being questions about how standout rookie quarterbacks try to keep it going in their second seasons. Can the league figure out a way to slow down Jayden Daniels? But the game I'm most interested to see is the Bears on Nov. 9. The Bears have the widest range of potential outcomes this year. If Ben Johnson takes to being a head coach and Caleb Williams plays to his ability level, the Bears could win double-digit games. I'm very "interested" to see it.

Dan Salomone: FictionSign me up for Monday night in Foxborough to kick off December. Super Bowls aside, the Giants and Patriots have played in some tight games in the regular season. Their previous 12 meetings have been decided by a total of 14 points, including nine, one-possession games. Six of them have been decided by a field goal or less. On top of that, it will be Brian Daboll's return to New England, where he won five Super Bowls as an assistant. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was a player on three of those championship teams.

Matt Citak: FictionI get the appeal of the matchup in Denver, as it will be Russell Wilson's first trip back to Mile High since leaving the Broncos after the 2023 season. But for me, the most interesting road game has to be the season opener in Washington. While the Commanders won both matchups against the Giants last season, the two games were won by a total of eight points. Jayden Daniels is coming off a fantastic rookie season, and the Commanders put an emphasis on building around their young quarterback this offseason. This will be a great test for the Giants, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If the Giants can steal a victory in the season opener, it will set them up nicely for the remainder of the tough stretch they have to start the year.

The newcomer you're most interested to see make his Giants debut is quarterback Russell Wilson.

John Schmeelk: FictionI really don't want to answer this question the way I am going to. I want to pick Russell Wilson, or perhaps Abdul Carter would be an even better pick. I can't wait to see him line up against Laremy Tunsil in Week 1. But I'm going to have to say Jaxson Dart. This doesn't mean I want to rush him onto the field. I hope Russell Wilson plays well and the Giants are in the playoff hunt to the very end, meaning Dart doesn't have to play at all. That would be great. It also doesn't mean I'm not most interested to see what Dart looks like in a real NFL game against an NFL defense pulling out all the stops. Can he develop into the future quarterback the Giants so desperately need? We'll potentially get a small taste of that answer at some point this year.

Dan Salomone: FactBrian Daboll wants to get the ball downfield (to people like Malik Nabers), and there aren't many players who can throw the deep ball better than Russell Wilson. Say what you want about Pro Bowls and alternates, but let's not forget that he made it last year. It was the 10th of his career as he went 6-5 as a starter in the regular season with 16 touchdowns to five interceptions. He also ran for two more scores. Wilson has proven he can get the ball in the end zone and stack some wins with a talented defense, which the Giants now have.

Matt Citak: FactI almost went with Abdul Carter here, but as we all know, quarterback is the most important position in football. While Wilson's stats from last season with the Steelers might not jump off the page, the veteran quarterback was solid across his 11 starts. Wilson threw 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions while earning a 95.6 passer rating. Perhaps most importantly, Wilson is known for being an accurate passer. The Giants have some talented pass-catchers between Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, and Theo Johnson, not to mention running backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo. Having a quarterback who can accurately get the ball to these playmakers should help raise the floor for this offense. The Giants will not need him to look like Seattle Russell Wilson for him to help the offense take a big step this season.

A rookie will lead the Giants in either sacks or rushing yards this season.

John Schmeelk: FICTION SLAMYou will not find someone more excited about Abdul Carter and Cam Skattebo than the guy writing this sentence. Carter was my top player in the draft class, and Skattebo had second-round ability. I still think this is a bridge too far. Rookie pass rushers rarely surpass 10 sacks, and I have to think either Dexter Lawrence or Brian Burns will reach double digits this year. As for Skattebo, fans should not let their excitement for him make them forget how good Tyrone Tracy Jr. was last year. Tracy should get more carries early in the season as Skattebo still tries to figure things out. And Tracy's speed and ability to generate explosive plays more frequently should get him more yards than the rookie.

Dan Salomone: FactCarter jumped on the scene right away in Happy Valley, picking up True Freshman All-American honors in 2022. He led Penn State in sacks as a true freshman and was second in tackles for loss.

"Abdul is one of those guys that as a true freshman jumped off the film," general manager Joe Schoen. "If you're just watching anybody against Penn State, he's playing off the ball, he's moving at a different speed than everybody else. So as personnel folks, you're always, man, who's that freshman, like the kid at Ohio State this year, that receiver (Jeremiah Smith), like that guy is jumping off the film already. He was one of those guys. So he was on our radar from early on in August, like, we've got to go see Penn State. We have to go see this guy play."

Matt Citak: FictionThis has nothing to do with my feelings on Carter or Skattebo, as I believe they will both make a big impact on the Giants this season. But my answer has more to do with the players they will be competing with to lead the team in those categories. Dexter Lawrence had a career-high nine sacks in just 12 games last season, while Brian Burns was right behind him with 8.5. Both of these guys could easily push for double-digit sacks once again. Carter could too, of course, but I have to give the slight edge to the proven veterans. Meanwhile, Tracy picked up 839 yards on the ground in just 12 starts while averaging 4.4 yards per carry as a rookie. Skattebo will certainly get touches this season and help create a formidable 1-2 punch with Tracy, but I expect the second-year back to still lead the backfield in touches and yards.

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