New York Giants Open as Slim Underdogs vs Washington
After two straight weeks of owning the largest underdog margins in the National Football League, the New York Giants return to East Rutherford in Week 7 and are greeted with a much friendlier number by the sportsbooks.
On the heels of their down-to-the-wire loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, the Giants get a fresh start at home against the Washington Commanders, and it feels like such on the lines from Vegas. According to FanDuel, the Giants welcome their NFC East foe to MetLife Stadium as 1.5-point underdogs, the second smallest margin in the league and their smallest since Week 4 against Seattle.
While the opening line may be a result of the Giants’ surprising effort in Orchard Park, where they held the Bills’ offense to 14 points and hung around till the game's final play, it’s likely impacted by the return of critical pieces on the Giants' side.
Running back Saquon Barkley made his return from an ankle sprain suffered in Week 2 to bolster the offense, and the Giants are hoping that quarterback Daniel Jones (neck) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) are not too far behind with other respective return to action.
That said, the Washington Commanders walk into MetLife Stadium with a 3-3 record, fresh off a 24-16 win in Atlanta, and with an offense closer to the Giants’ wheelhouse. Led by quarterback Sam Howell, Washington ranks 15th in points scored and 22nd in total yards but has seen its scoring dip with sub-25-point performances in the last two weeks.
Through his first six outings, Howell has been the ninth most efficient passer with a 67.8 percent completion rate for 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns. However, he can get risky with the ball in his hands, as evidenced by his six interceptions on the year, four of which came in Week 3 against the Bills. He can make up for his mistakes with his feet, posting 104 yards and a score to stand second in the team’s leaderboard.
Whereas the Giants have struggled to get their receiving arsenal going, the Commanders have relied on a group of pass catchers to move the needle in their offensive attack. They have four players with at least 140 yards receiving that account for six of the team’s touchdowns and average at least 8.2 yards per catch.
The only downside is they will be facing a New York defense that’s tightened up on pass defense lately, standing top-5 in attempts allowed and top-15 in yards and touchdowns succumbed.
On the ground, the Commanders are much less impressive in deploying a two-back scheme with Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson. Robinson Jr. carries most of the load as the team’s bull rushing back, with 302 yards and three scores to his game. Yet, neither option has earned more than 4.3 yards per carry, leaving Washington towards the bottom of the league in attempts and yards.
The Giants began to find some semblance of an offensive groove against Buffalo despite their feeble offensive line and inept scoring ability inside the red zone. That uptick could continue to swing in their favor as they face a Commanders’ defensive unit that ranks 29th in both points and yards allowed and 25th or worse in several passing and rushing categories. It could be the matchup where the Giants figure out how to end their scoring drought and reignite their flame for the remainder of the season.
The Giants have history on their side when facing the Commanders in the regular season. New York boasts a 106-71-5 overall series record against Washington dating back to 1932 and has taken six of the last ten meetings in authoritative fashion. Last fall was interesting, however, as the two teams tied at MetLife Stadium before the Giants won on the road a few weeks later to help secure their first playoff bid in five years.
It remains to be seen whether the Giants continue their stronghold over the Commanders amid the challenges plaguing their season. The reality is they have come upon a more favorable matchup than they’ve seen in recent weeks, and with some pieces looking to return this Sunday, that is being reflected in the mood of the betting market.
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