By: D’Andre McKenzie

A little over 12 hours after the Jets finished their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was time to do it all over again at MetLife Stadium.

Except this time, everything was blue.

The Giants opened their 2026 preseason Saturday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings, one day after the Jets played their first preseason game in the exact same building.

And before I even get into the football, I have to give some credit to the people who work at MetLife.

It always amazes me how quickly stadiums in New York can turn themselves around.

The Jets game Friday night didn’t end until around 11 p.m. By 1 p.m. Saturday, you’re walking back into MetLife and almost every trace of the Jets is gone. Giants logos are up. The colors have changed. The video boards have changed. Different graphics are everywhere. A completely different fanbase is coming through the gates.

You know another NFL game happened there the night before, but it doesn’t really feel like it.

That’s a pretty impressive turnaround.

But after spending Friday night talking about the Jets, Saturday belonged to the Giants.

And there are a lot of questions surrounding this team.

Giants Fans Are A Lot More Optimistic Than I Am

Going into this game, I actually thought the Giants and Vikings were two pretty interesting teams to put next to each other.

Neither one is entering this season with massive expectations nationally.

I’ve seen plenty of people predict both teams to finish near the bottom of their respective divisions, and honestly, I don’t think either team is making the playoffs.

But that’s also what makes preseason games like this somewhat interesting.

The final score doesn’t really matter.

It’s more about seeing how these teams stack up against themselves.

What actually looks better than last year? Which young players belong? Which position battles start becoming a little clearer? And which problems from last season still look like problems?

Before the game, as usual, I went around talking to fans from both teams.

The Giants fans surprised me a little bit.

Nine wins.

Ten wins.

Those were numbers I kept hearing.

I wouldn’t call that completely unfathomable, but it’s definitely more optimistic than I am about this team.

The Giants went 4-13 last season. I personally have them somewhere around seven wins this year.

That’s still a pretty significant improvement.

Going from four wins to seven would at least show that things are moving in the right direction under John Harbaugh. I just don’t think they’re ready to make that jump all the way into the playoffs yet, especially playing in the NFC East.

But the Giants fans I talked to?

They are ready to believe.

You could tell people are tired of talking about rebuilding, draft position and what the Giants might look like two or three years from now.

They want to win now.

Minnesota fans weren’t necessarily walking around guaranteeing a Super Bowl either. They know there are questions with their team, particularly at quarterback.

Kyler Murray is now the starter. J.J. McCarthy, who wasn’t too long ago supposed to be the future of the franchise, is behind him.

That’s a pretty fascinating situation by itself.

So even though this was only preseason game No. 1, there were actually quite a few things worth paying attention to.

The Giants Game Felt Different

Another thing I noticed almost immediately was that Saturday’s atmosphere felt noticeably different from the Jets game the night before.

The Giants game just had a little more life to it.

There were fireworks. The music seemed louder. There were more people in the stands. The overall presentation felt a little bigger.

Now, I don’t know how much of that had to do with the Giants themselves.

It could simply be the difference between playing at 1 p.m. on a Saturday and playing at 7 p.m. on a Friday night. People have the entire day to tailgate. Families can come out. Nobody is rushing over after work.

Whatever the reason, MetLife felt livelier.

There was also a cool moment for me personally before the game even started.

My friend Hank Santos, who is currently in the Broadway musical The Lost Boys, sang the national anthem.

I’ve obviously heard the national anthem performed hundreds of times at sporting events, but it’s a little different when you’re standing there watching somebody you actually know sing it in an NFL stadium.

Pretty dope moment.

Then the game started.

Kyler Murray’s Vikings Debut Was Short

One of the biggest things I wanted to see was Minnesota’s quarterback situation.

Kyler Murray got the start, although we didn’t get to see much of him.

He played the Vikings’ opening drive, went 2-for-3 for 10 yards and Minnesota eventually came away with a field goal.

Nothing spectacular.

Nothing terrible.

He basically came in, got his first preseason work with his new team and got out.

For a veteran quarterback in the first preseason game, that’s probably exactly what Minnesota wanted.

Then J.J. McCarthy came in.

And McCarthy didn’t really do much for me.

There were some missed throws. The offense didn’t seem particularly smooth. He took a sack. There were a couple of passes where you just wanted to see him put the ball in a better spot.

He finished 3-for-4 for 34 yards, so if you only looked at the box score, you probably wouldn’t think anything of it.

Watching it live felt different.

He just looked a little shaky.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and declare that J.J. McCarthy can’t play football because of a couple of preseason drives. That’s ridiculous.

It’s August.

But considering where he currently sits in Minnesota’s quarterback situation, you would like to see him come into these games and look sharp.

I didn’t really see that Saturday.

Myles Price Was One of Minnesota’s Bright Spots

Carson Wentz ended up playing a significant portion of the game for Minnesota, and one player who caught my attention while he was in there was Myles Price.

Price finished with four receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Four targets.

Four catches.

That’s about as efficient as you can ask a receiver to be.

His touchdown ended up being Minnesota’s only touchdown of the afternoon, and he consistently seemed to make something happen when the ball came his way.

Preseason is where you get guys like this.

Every year there’s somebody who enters August as a name most casual fans aren’t really thinking about and suddenly starts forcing his way into the conversation.

I’m not saying Myles Price is about to become some superstar based on one preseason game.

But No. 4 definitely caught my attention.

Keep an eye on him.

Then It Was Time to See Jaxson Dart

On the Giants side, Jaxson Dart was obviously one of the main attractions.

And in a very small amount of playing time, we basically got the entire Jaxson Dart experience.

Some good.

Some excitement.

And one moment where everybody in the stadium probably held their breath.

Dart finished 3-for-4 for 26 yards and a touchdown.

For the most part, I thought he looked poised. He wasn’t out there trying to do too much, and when the opportunity came to make a play, he made it.

His best play was the touchdown to Malachi Fields down the left side.

That was exactly the type of play Giants fans wanted to see in August.

But then there was the other side of it.

Dart got absolutely demolished on a sack.

And I mean demolished.

He stayed down on the field for a little bit before eventually going into the medical tent.

That’s the stuff that would worry me if I were a Giants fan.

Not because Dart isn’t tough.

We’ve already established that.

If anything, he might be a little too willing to take punishment.

We saw him on the ground way too often last season, and here we are in the first preseason game and he’s already taking another massive hit.

Thankfully, he was able to return.

But this cannot become a weekly thing again.

I don’t care how tough your quarterback is. Eventually those hits add up.

If John Harbaugh and the Giants want to find out what they truly have in Dart, keeping him upright has to be one of the biggest priorities for this offense.

Everybody Kept Telling Me About Malachi Fields

Before the game, I kept asking Giants fans which players they were most excited to see.

One name kept coming out of people’s mouths.

Malachi Fields.

Malachi Fields.

Malachi Fields.

So naturally, I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Well, he gave Giants fans a little something.

Fields finished with three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown, with the score coming from Dart.

He looked good.

He’s a big target, and you can see why Giants fans are intrigued by what he could potentially become in this offense.

Again, it’s preseason.

I’m always careful with getting too excited about somebody based on an August game because we have seen plenty of preseason stars disappear once September comes around.

But Fields was somebody Giants fans told me to watch before the game, and then he went out and actually made plays.

That’s worth noting.

Brandon Allen Had An Afternoon to Forget

Not everybody fighting for a roster spot helped themselves Saturday.

Brandon Allen had a rough one.

Allen finished 5-for-8 for 45 yards and threw two interceptions.

When you’re the third quarterback on the depth chart in August, those are the performances that hurt.

The Giants have decisions to make with this quarterback room. Dart is obviously the guy they’re building around, and Jameis Winston is expected to be the backup.

Then you get to Allen.

Do they keep three quarterbacks?

Do they only keep two?

Does another position become more valuable when they’re putting together the final 53?

Those are the little roster battles that make preseason interesting because, for somebody like Allen, these games mean a lot more than the final score.

Every possession is essentially part of your job interview.

Two interceptions isn’t what you want on the résumé.

Vikings 13, Giants 10

Minnesota eventually walked out of MetLife with a 13-10 win.

And I don’t think anybody should care that much about the Giants losing a preseason game by three points.

That’s not really what Saturday was about.

For Minnesota, we got our first small look at Kyler Murray in a Vikings uniform. We saw McCarthy get his opportunity behind him. Myles Price made a strong first impression.

For the Giants, Dart showed some good things, Fields showed why Giants fans have been talking about him and the offensive line gave us another reminder that protecting the quarterback is going to matter.

More than anything, though, I left Saturday thinking about the expectations Giants fans have for this season.

Nine wins.

Ten wins.

I heard it over and over again.

Maybe they’re right.

I’m sticking with seven.

But I understand where the optimism comes from.

There is something different about bringing in a coach like John Harbaugh. This isn’t somebody learning how to run an NFL organization for the first time. He’s won in this league. He’s been around successful football for a long time.

I think he’ll eventually get the Giants where they want to go.

The question is how long that’s going to take.

If they go from 4-13 to seven or eight wins and some of these younger players establish themselves, I think you can call Year 1 a success.

If those Giants fans predicting nine or 10 wins end up being right?

Even better.

Either way, they’re tired of losing seasons around here.

You could feel that talking to people outside the stadium.

They want meaningful football back at MetLife.

We’ll find out soon enough if they’re finally going to get it.

For now, preseason Week 1 is officially complete in New York.

I got the Jets on Friday.

The Giants on Saturday.

Two games, two completely different atmospheres and plenty to talk about heading toward the regular season.

And with that, we’re taking a little break from American football.

Next stop for The Way Network: Europe.

Time for some Premier League football.