The Green Bay Packers are one of the NFL's most valuable teams, so schedule makers at the league office will always work hard to put them in high-profile games. Their trip to take on the New York Giants on Nov. 16 of this season is no exception.
The problem from the Packers' perspective is that their trip to the Big Apple resides squarely in between two of their toughest regular-season contests. Green Bay hosts the Eagles on Monday Night Football on Nov. 10, immediately before taking on the Giants. The Packers will host their NFC North rivals, the Vikings, the week after they take on New York.
The Packers can't sleep on the Giants
Optimistic Packers fans will point out that their favorite team should head to New York as solid favorites over the Giants. Taking on an offensive piloted by Russell Wilson isn't an overly daunting task at this late stage of the quarterback's career. New York has some weapons to work with on offense, but it's not a group that will strike fear in the hearts of opposing defensive coordinators.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers is one Giant who can keep Packers' defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley up at night. He's a classic X-receiver who can threaten opposing secondaries with speed and a large catch radius. The Packers still are not completely sure who their No. 1 outside cornerback will be this season. Jaire Alexander is still on the current roster but his availability is always a question mark. Keisean Nixon may be the guy forced to step up and cover Nabers in this game if Alexander doesn't find his way back into the team's good graces.
New York's defensive front does have the talent required to present Green Bay's offense with problems. Dexter Lawrence is one of the most dominant tackles in the NFL when he's healthy and motivated. Brian Burns may be overpaid but he's also a top-flight edge rusher. Ironically, he's just the sort of perimeter edge rusher the Packers continue to search for on an annual basis.
The same can be said for New York's first-round draft pick. Abdul Carter should be firmly established as a starter at outside linebacker by the time his defense takes on Green Bay. His pure speed on the outside will be a real challenge for Packers' left tackle Rasheed Walker. He struggled in pass protection in 2024 which is part of the reason his franchise spent a second round pick on Anthony Belton to be his potential replacement at the premium position.
The last thing the Packers can afford this year is for Jordan Love to take a bunch of hits from a formidable front like the Giants possess in the heart of their regular season. The essence of this trap game might be more about the beating the franchise quarterback can take more than the chances of Green Bay actually losing the game. Keeping Love upright is the franchise's top priority and New York has the quality up front to make that a significant challenge.
in the end, a team of the Packers' quality should not lose sleep over a mid-season game against a rebuilding team like the Giants. It's the sort of tricky game every playoff team has to encounter once or twice as the regular season trudges along. There's an argument to be made that Green Bay does not deserve to consider themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders if they can't dispatch a pesky team like New York.
Of course, the reality of taking a trip to New York can be much tougher than it seems on paper. Matt LaFleur won't get caught looking ahead to the Giants too early but if he waits too late to focus in on his trip to New York it could come back to haunt his team. It's a trap game that will be worth watching in the middle of the 2025 regular season.