Giants focused on Commanders, not on past season-opening stumbles
Giants quarterback Russell Wilson hands off to running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. during the first half of a preseason game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 16. Credit: Lee S. Weissman
The Giants’ recent history of season openers isn’t great, but for Tyrone Tracy Jr., that might as well be ancient history.
The Giants have lost their first game in every season but one since the start of 2017. That season also started a stretch in which they opened 0-2 every year except 2022 (2-0) and 2023 (1-1), the first two seasons under coach Brian Daboll.
That means little to Tracy. Sure, the second-year running back was present last season when the Giants began with a 28-6 loss to the Vikings, but he isn’t interested in looking back.
“That has nothing to do with what we have going on right now,” he said on Monday. “You’re talking about we started slow eight years in a row, but that had nothing to do with the people we have on our team. [They] weren’t here eight years ago. So it doesn’t really matter what happened last year or two years ago.”
The Giants lost their last two season openers by a combined score of 68-6. The 1-1 start two years ago — which included the 40-0 drubbing by the Cowboys in the opener — led to a 6-11 campaign. Last season, the 0-2 start began a tumble as the Giants lost a franchise-record 10 consecutive games at one point.
“Obviously, if you win that first game, it’s kind of a ripple effect into the next game,” Tracy said. “We’re trying to go out there and have a fast start. But with the stats of going back to the past, that has nothing to do with what we’re doing here.”
The Giants don’t get any favors to kick things off. They face a Commanders team that made the NFC Championship Game last year. The Giants went 0-6 against NFC East opponents last year, the first time they went winless in division play. That included a pair of close losses to the Commanders.
But the Giants have renewed optimism that wasn’t present the previous two years. They have a better quarterback in Russell Wilson and an offense that returns every starter around him.
Even Daboll said watching last year’s film can do only so much to prepare for the Commanders and how they’ve adjusted.
“You can study all the tape you want to study from the previous year schematically, the players; that helps quite a bit, strengths and weaknesses,” Daboll said. “But you don’t know how they’re going to play or what they’re going to do different.”
Yet the Giants can’t fully ignore their history. Fans have long memories, and another opening loss won’t ease their fears that this might be another long season.
NFL.com projected the Giants at 5.7 wins this week. ESPN projected them at 5.5 wins. So it would behoove them to start well and prove the hope from training camp can translate to the regular season.
That’s how Tracy sees it. He had only two carries and one catch in last year’s opener, when he still was a backup to Devin Singletary. It’s why he’s focused on the present. Now that he’s a starter, he can do more to help the Giants start fast.
“I feel like we’ve been saying this the whole offseason; it’s a different energy in the locker room. It’s a different energy on the team,” Tracy said. “But at the same time, none of that really matters if we don’t go out there and do it.’’
Mixed reactions on Parsons
The Cowboys’ trade of Micah Parsons to the Packers last week brought fun responses from the Giants on social media. Wilson on X joked about helping him pack his bags. Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor said he was relieved to see him out of the division.
Linebacker Abdul Carter asked for extra money from his fellow Penn State alum after Parsons signed a $188 million extension with the Packers. But other players had more muted reactions on Monday.
“I honestly didn’t think much about it,” cornerback Dru Phillips said. “I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s crazy.’ And then I just kind of moved on with it.”
Tracy felt the same. He said it reminded him that the NFL is a business, but there wasn’t much thought about Parsons no longer being a worry twice a year.
“It happens. It wasn’t a big deal to us,” Tracy said. “We weren’t even around each other. We were off, we were at home. That’s really all I’ve got to say to that.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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