New York Giants Open Week 16 as Wide Underdogs vs Atlanta

With three games remaining in their 2024 season, the New York Giants might be hoping to close it out with at least one more win on their record. The Vegas oddsmakers, on the other hand, do not see that coming close to reality in their next matchup on the road.

After managing to not cover the incredible 16.5-point spread against them last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, the Giants are heading to Atlanta for a Week 16 faceoff with the Falcons who the oddsmakers expect to be comfortable victors, thus handing New York a 10.5-point underdog status in their upcoming contest.

Last week’s line marked the highest odds margin placed against the Giants in 58 years and this one will be the second consecutive week in which their opponent is favored by more than 10 points in the pregame markets.

It is also a strange number given the Falcons aren’t in the same weight class as Baltimore and by the fact that the Giants have lost four of their last six games by less than seven points. At the beginning of the season it was a matchup that most people figured they could potentially win until the odds have now been flipped over.

The only solace for New York is that Atlanta has also been reeling at the completely wrong time for them. They enter the week losers of their last four games to sit at a 6-7 record and are fighting to keep their postseason dreams alive in a mediocre NFC south division despite being healthy at quarterback all season.

Led by Kirk Cousins in his first year under center for the team, the Falcons boast an offensive huddle composed of a handful of talented playmakers that can do damage in both phases. They’ve made modest production over the first 15 weeks, but it could be turned up against a weak Giants defense that is littered with injuries.

The Falcons have a rushing tandem of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to collect their yardage on the ground, the former leads the team with 215 carries for 977 yards and eight touchdowns and the latter is a bigger contributor on short yardage and passing downs. The duo have placed Atlanta in the top-15 franchises in rushing attempts, yards and average per play and have scored 11 touchdowns.

In the air, the Falcons’ receiving ranks include four players with at least 400 yards to their name, the leader of which is Darnell Mooney at 94 catches for 873 yards and five touchdowns. He is joined by fellow deep threats Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts and a speedster in Ray-Ray McCloud III who can help in the short game with Robinson as well.

Atlanta will surely test the Giants depleted defense in that area this week as they are ranked third and seventh in passing yards and average play , respectively. The Giants cannot sleep on the rushing prowess of Robinson either, as he was once in the conversation for one of the top ball carriers at the start of the season.

If the Giants can give a consistent, turnover-free matchup for sixty minutes, it’s not a matchup they can’t succeed in from a defensive perspective. The Falcons are sharper at stopping opponents in the trenches, but are vulnerable against the pass and allow the 25th most yards and the highest touchdowns total to their foes in 2024.

The key to this game just might come down to Atlanta’s desperation when it comes to pushing for the final playoff spot in the NFC conference whereas the Giants have nothing but pride and a draft pick left to play for. The locker room still wants to have that feeling of a win though, and it’s not totally out of the equation based on which version of the Falcons operation show up,

The over/under points total for the matchup is set at 42.5 points, a number that has hit in five of the Giants games and covered in their 35-14 loss to Baltimore while the Falcons have nailed it nine times.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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