EAST RUTHERFORD - Three games in the New Meadowlands Stadium, including a nationally-televised opener, highlight the Giants' 2010 preseason schedule.
The NFL today released every team's preseason opponents and the Giants will play four AFC teams, including three 2009 playoff teams – the Jets, Baltimore and New England - plus the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won Super Bowl XLIII two seasons ago.
The games against the Steelers and Patriots will be Giants home games.
The preseason schedule will kick off on Monday night, Aug. 16, when the Giants battle the Jets in the teams' beautiful new stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, and it is the Jets' turn to be the home team.
The Giants and Jets will meet for the 42nd consecutive preseason since the series began in 1969. The Jets won last year's game, 27-25, their third summer victory in a row over the Giants. The Giants trail in the preseason series, 22-18-1, with the tie coming in 1972.
This is the first time since 1988 the Giants and Jets will meet at a time other than the third week of the preseason (they played in preseason Week 2) and the first time since 1983 they will face off in the opener.
The Giants will open their preseason schedule with a Monday night game for the second year in a row. Last year, they defeated Carolina, 24-14. The Giants were 1-3 in the 2009 preseason. They are 32-25-3 in preseason openers since 1950.
The Giants will host Pittsburgh the following preseason weekend. The exact date has not yet been determined.
This will be the Giants' first preseason meeting with the Steelers since Aug. 14, 1993, a 23-17 Pittsburgh victory in Giants Stadium. The previous summer, the Steelers won in Pittsburgh, 24-3.
Despite the long hiatus between games, the teams have a rich preseason history. The Giants and Steelers played each other every year from 1969-76 and again from 1978-89. Their first preseason game was played on Aug. 22, 1952, in Des Moines, Iowa, a 24-10 Giants victory. They have also played in New Haven, Ithaca and Montreal. The Giants lead the all-time preseason series, 13-12.
The following weekend (date and time to be determined), the Giants will resume their preseason series with Baltimore after a two-year hiatus. The Giants and Ravens faced each other every summer from 1996-2004 and again in 2006 and 2007. Baltimore leads the preseason series, 6-5.
For the sixth year in a row, the Giants will conclude their preseason schedule with a game against the Patriots. The game has traditionally been played on a Thursday night, 10 days before the first Sunday of the regular season. That date this year is Sept. 2.
The Giants lost last year's game in Foxboro, 38-27, but lead the preseason series that began in 1971, 11-8.
The regular season schedule will be announced in April. The Giants will play the first regular season game ever in the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 12.
The Giants will not face any of their preseason opponents in the regular season.
