Giants vs. Cardinals Week 4: Time, Channel and What to Watch

Last Sunday, the New York Giants played what most viewers in MetLife Stadium and at home might call a "mudder" of a football game, narrowly defeating the winless Tennessee Titans 12-7 to improve to 2-1 in John Harbaugh's first season as head coach.

While the wet, rainy conditions that engulfed East Rutherford and the surrounding area certainly didn't help their cause, Big Blue also could have done more to avoid having to defend every yard as the Titans came knocking on the door of a last-minute touchdown to steal the contest.

For one thing, quarterback Jameis Winston played no more than a simple game-manager role in his first start for the franchise this season, completing 14 passes for 118 yards while also missing a few key opportunities or chucking some ducks into the turf.

The Giants offense also couldn't manage to fully capitalize on the Titans' poor operation on the same side, going 0-2 inside the red zone, including one visit where they got as close as the opponent's 5-yard line, and having to settle for four Dominic Zvada field goals that made up their entire scoring for the day.

Despite all that, New York managed to escape with the victory. However, they know they need a better brand of football to reach the heights they want this season, and that must start showing on Sunday when the Arizona Cardinals visit

The Cardinals, while not a juggernaut opponent by most metrics, have been a fluctuating team through the first three games of 2026, powered by an offense that seems to perform better when they're away from their friendly confines of Glendale.

That offense is coming off its best week with 30 points and 365 yards of total production against a much superior defense in the San Francisco 49ers, who finished with the 36-30 win in the divisional battle, and is ready to see what damage they can create against a Giants defense that is severely banged up.

The Giants felt the latest blow to their roster with the news that outside linebacker Brian Burns's season is over after an ACL tear in Week 3, which weakened their already underperforming pass rush and added to the slew of injuries that have marred the secondary.

If the Giants are going to prevent an offensive onslaught from spoiling a potential two-game winning streak in front of their fans and members of the 1986 Super Bowl championship team that will be honored in a special ceremony at the stadium, they'll need to dig deeper into their ranks and call upon individual players to pick up the slack.

A lot has shifted in what the Giants can accomplish on the field without Jaxson Dart under center. Still, the hope is that a gritty win last weekend was the spark that the locker room needed to know that they can still go further than they have in recent seasons with the talent that remains healthy.

They certainly can do better than being the NFL's 28th-ranked offense and a defense whose specialty of getting after the quarterback has yet to be unleashed in full form.

Both need to flash to upend the Cardinals and stay on the right track as the schedule gets tougher, or noticeable changes could be on the horizon at 1925 Giants Drive.

Check in with the New York Giants on SI for all the pre-game, in-game, and postgame coverage.

Cardinals (1-2) vs Giants (2-1)

Regular Season Series History

This year's matchup between the Cardinals and Giants marks the 130th meeting between two historic franchises, dating back to 1926, when the former team played in Chicago before moving to St. Louis in 1960 and then to Phoenix in 1988.

In that long lineage of games against one another, the Giants hold a significant advantage in the series, with 81 victories to Arizona's 46, with two ties in the record books. The two teams have never met in the postseason.

Arizona has largely dominated the recent stretch of meetings, however, taking six of the previous 10 contests, including four consecutive at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants did win the most recent meeting in 2023, defeating the Cardinals, 31-28, behind a remarkable comeback performance from then quarterback Daniel Jones, who rallied New York from a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter with three touchdown passes before setting up kicker Graham Gano for a game-winning 34-yard field goal.

Television

The game will be televised on CBS, with Spero Dedes calling the play-by-play, Adam Archuleta as the analyst, and Aditi Kinkhabwala as the sideline reporter.

Radio

Fans can also listen to the game on WFAN 101.9 FM, with Bob Papa calling the game, Carl Banks as the analyst, and Howard Cross reporting from the sidelines.

Referee

Shawn Smith will serve as the head official for Sunday's matchup. Smith, a Detroit native, began his NFL officiating career in 2015 as an umpire before earning promotion to referee in 2018, making him just the sixth African American referee in league history.

Smith has officiated many important games in recent years, including 10 postseason contests, and most recently served as the head official for Super Bowl LX last February.

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