Three Bold Predictions for Giants vs. Rams: Is An Upset Brewing in L.A.?

Week 2 in the NFL will come to a close at SoFi Stadium on Monday night, as the Rams will host the Giants for an 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

New York is 1–0 after its John Harbaugh-era-opening win over the Cowboys last Sunday night. The Week 1 victory saw second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart throw three touchdowns (including two to newcomer Isaiah Likely), Cam Skattebo run for 81 yards and a score, and free agent signing Tremaine Edmunds lead the defense with eight total tackles.

The Rams, meanwhile, fell to 0–1 during their flash trip to Melbourne—losing to the division-rival 49ers 27–7—and are now without arguably their best defensive player, Myles Garrett. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year (and prized offseason acquisition) was placed on injured reserve last week with a knee injury, and will now miss a minimum of four weeks.

MORE: NFL Week 2 Picks From the MMQB Staff

Is an upset in the air in L.A.? Or will the Rams get themselves back on what many believed would be a Super Bowl-winning track? Here are three bold predictions for Giants vs. Rams.

Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux will all record a sack

Burns, Carter, Thibodeaux. — The Giants have a three-headed monster in their edge defender room. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Giants have a three-headed monster off the edge with former first-round picks Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. And even though none of them sacked Dak Prescott in Week 1, they were still able to get him off his spot.

While New York’s defense as a whole registered only a 33.3% pressure rate against the Cowboys, according to Next Gen Stats, Carter logged five quarterback pressures and Thibodeaux added three. The two also combined for the pressure below on Prescott, forcing him into a costly interception before halftime.

What an INT from Jevon Holland!

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To its credit, Dallas did its part to limit Burns, holding him without a single pressure on 30 pass-rush snaps—but that will change on Monday night.

The Rams allowed a pressure rate of 41.4% against San Francisco. While the 49ers—like the Giants against Dallas—were unable to log a sack, they consistently pressured Matthew Stafford.

Given what New York showed last week, I’m predicting that the Giants’ edge trio finishes the job on Monday night, with each logging at least one sack.

Matthew Stafford will throw for fewer than 200 yards for a second straight week

Speaking of Stafford, the 2025 NFL MVP looked like a shell of himself in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to San Francisco. The 38-year-old completed only 15 passes for 155 yards, threw an ugly first-half interception and posted a passer rating of 61.5.

“We didn’t play well enough,” Stafford said of L.A.’s offensive performance last week. “Obviously, never got into a rhythm. Only had probably two good drives, to be honest with you, the entire day. One of them ends up on a touchdown; next we get to the 1-yard line, don’t get in. So not enough good stuff on offense.”

Stafford will face a Giants defense that held Prescott to 175 passing yards, and may be without his top wide receiver target in Puka Nacua—who didn’t practice this week and is officially listed as questionable with a hip injury.

That’s why I’m predicting the Rams’ passing attack will once again struggle, with Stafford throwing for less than 200 yards for a second consecutive week.

The Giants will pull off the upset, beating the Rams 20–17

Jaxson Dart led the Giants to a win over the Cowboys in Week 1. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This is quite the pressure-filled spot for the Rams. They came into 2026 with through-the-roof expectations and are now staring down the barrel of a 0–2 start while two of their star players deal with injury.

The Giants, on the other hand, are living carefree after starting the season with an in-division win over the Cowboys. Their offense looked spectacular under new coordinator Matt Nagy and their defense was opportunistic, as we outlined above.

Put all of that together, and New York will ride its momentum into SoFi Stadium. Behind another impressive performance from Dart & Co., I’m predicting that the Giants will upset the Rams, 20–17.

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