Feb. 8, 2026, 12:02 p.m. ET
In 1986, the New York Giants had a magical season, blowing through the regular season with a 14-2 record and then vanquishing two of their biggest rivals, the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins, by a combined score of 66-3 to reach Super Bowl XXI.
Every Giant fan knows the rest. Big Blue overcame a shaky start at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to pound the Denver Broncos and John Elway into submission, 39-20, to win their first NFL Championship in 30 years.
It’s now been 40 years since that season, and the franchise will be doing all kinds of tributes to commemorate it. That, according to some, could come as early as Week 1, but that would require the Giants to open the season at home, something that veteran NFL reporter Gary Myers expects they will request.
“I think the Giants will request it because they’d like to honor the ’86 team. The plan is to honor the ’86 team at the home opener,” Myers told Big Blue Interactive. “I’d think they’d like to do it then. What a day that would be — (John) Harbaugh’s debut (as head coach) and the ’86 Giants. That would be pretty neat.”
“They should schedule it against the Cowboys. That would really make it a special day.”
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Myers made the point that the league sent the Giants on the road in Weeks 1 and 2 last year to Washington and Dallas, so they could be “owed” a scheduling favor here.
If the league grants the Giants this request, the game would likely end up in the late or even the evening window of that day’s slate. Even though both teams finished out of the money in 2025, the matchup is still one of the NFL’s most attractive from a ratings standpoint.
