Big, big game for Big Blue on Monday night.
If the Giants fall to the Seahawks — who beat them up last year, remember — you might as well write them off. They’ll be 1-3 with the Bills and Dolphins next and three more likely losses to the Cowboys and Eagles still outstanding. It is not what you want. And, based on reactions through three weeks, it is not something many fans or local media members saw coming.
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But it the NFL schedule-makers (and television executives) did seem to realize it was possible. Which is what we recognized a few months ago. Remember what we wrote back in May:
The Giants have five primetime dates on their slate. Four of them will be played in the first six weeks of the season, and three will be in the first four weeks. And the only post-October game — Monday Night Football against the Packers in Week 14 — comes after ESPN’s flex scheduling window kicks in.
The message is pretty clear: The league and its broadcast partners wants to capitalize on the Giants’ renewed relevancy. But they want to squeeze as much juice from the fruit before it potentially begins to spoil.
If the Giants lose to the Seahawks? The league just has to get through their Sunday night trip to Buffalo in two weeks and then it’s home-free with the ability to flex them out. Just like it drew it up.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
