Why the Giants Will Beat the Rams, Why They Won't, and a Prediction

For the second week in a row, the New York Giants have a primetime matchup that few people think they can win.

This time, the Giants are on the road against the Los Angeles Rams in the Rams’ 2026 season home opener, set to air on Monday Night Football. New York enters the contest as a 7.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel.

Despite the Giants’ stunning upset Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys and the Rams’ equally stunning Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, there are plenty of people who are not yet willing to concede that the Giants are an improved team under head coach John Harbaugh, nor give up on the notion that the Rams are the team to beat in the NFC.

While it’s true that overreactions tend to run wild following a Week 1 game in the NFL, this upcoming game was once thought to be a slam dunk for the Rams, but it might just end up being a lot closer than first thought.

Why the Giants Will Win: Har-ball

The Giants are done being pushovers and “get-right” opponents for teams coming off bad losses and losing streaks. That’s thanks to the new sheriff in town, head coach John Harbaugh, who has built the Giants into a physical, “in-your-face” football team that fears no one.

Look no further than last week’s season opener. The Giants unleashed a physical running game that pounded the Cowboys into submission.

The Giants limited the Cowboys to two drives in the entire second half by ripping off three straight time-consuming drives of 12, 13, and 12 plays that ate up over 22 minutes of the 30-minute clock.

Two of those drives resulted in Giants touchdowns, and the third drive led to the end of the game.

This is the formula the Giants are looking to accomplish every week, and there is no reason to think that they can’t pull it off again against the Rams. If the Giants, who held the ball for almost 37 minutes in Week 1, can do the same in their clash against the Rams, they’ll come out on top once again.

Why the Giants Will Lose: Injury Concerns at CB

Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) reacts during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For as good as the Giants played overall last week, the defensive secondary — and in particular, the cornerbacks — was the weak link despite what the numbers (175 passing yards by the Cowboys) suggested.

Again, those low numbers largely reflect the Giants keeping Dallas’s offense off the field. That effort was further aided by the fact that the Cowboys had two dropped passes (both by receiver George Pickens) on balls the receiver cleanly beat the coverage on.

Fast forward to this week. The Giants' cornerbacks are banged up — Paulson Adebo, who would have been the next man up in the event of injury, is on IR. Deonte Banks is listed as questionable with a calf injury after missing practice Friday and Saturday.

Greg Newsome II, who was on the injury report with a rib issue this week, is good to go, but he had the second-worst coverage grade last week (40.4).

If Banks doesn’t play, rookie Colton Hood will get the nod. Hood had a mixed bag last week in his six coverage snaps, but if he has to play, you can bet Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will go after him.

And we didn’t even mention slot cornerback Dru Phillips, who had the worst coverage grade among the Giants defenders last week.

The Giants could catch a break if Rams receiver Puka Nacua, a game-time decision, doesn't play. Regardless, Big Blue needs to be much, much better in coverage to give its pass rush a decent chance at getting after Stafford, who is the very definition of a statue in the pocket.

Prediction: We Believe

At the start of the season, this looked like a sure-fire lock for the Rams, considering the Giants were chumps when it came to playing in prime time games and in particular on Monday night, where, since 2000, they hold a 12-26 record in games played in primetime to start the work week.

But as Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said in a radio interview last week, the Giants “are better than we thought.”

There is also something to be said for a win like the one the Giants managed against a division opponent that has had its number for the last decade, and what it did for the Giants’ confidence.

Toss in the fact that the Rams have allowed opponents an average of 28.1 points over their last eight games (regular season and postseason), and if the Giants can replicate what they did on offense — and why wouldn’t they be able to? — their flight back to New Jersey after the game should be a happy one.

Giants 28, Rams 24

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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