Two winless teams square off at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon when the Atlanta Falcons meet the New York Giants. The Giants will retire Eli Manning’s jersey as part of the game’s festivities, an event that might spur the home team to victory. New York lost to Denver in their opener, 27-13, and then they went to Washington and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, with a costly offsides penalty on a last-second field goal attempt giving Washington a second attempt — and a last-second 30-29 win.
Let’s take a closer look at this NFC matchup as you consider your NFL betting for the weekend.
NFL Preview: Atlanta Falcons at N.Y. Giants (Sunday, September 26)
When: Sunday, September 26, 2021, 1:00 pm ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
TV: FOX
Radio: WZGC 92.9 FM Atlanta / WFAN 660 AM New York City
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: New York -2.5 / O/U 47
Why should you bet on the Falcons?
Matt Ryan only threw for 164 yards in the Falcons’ embarrassing home opener, a 32-6 debacle against Philadelphia. In Week 2, though, he threw for 300 yards in the team’s 48-25 loss to Tampa Bay. His favorite target so far has been Calvin Ridley, who had seven catches for 63 yards and a score against Tampa Bay. Russell Gage had five catches in Week 2, but he has an ankle injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice and may limit his availability on Sunday. After the departure of Julio Jones via trade, the Falcons are looking to Gage to take on some of that lost production.
On paper, the Falcons have a much better squad than the Giants. Ryan has played quarterback at an elite level for most of his career, and even with Jones now playing in Tennessee, Ryan has Ridley as a target, along with Gage and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts. If Ryan can get enough time in the pocket, he should be able to move the ball up and down the field against a Giants team that struggled to stop Washington’s offense under the direction of backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
Why should you put your money on the Giants?
Did you know that the Giants have started the last five seasons 0-2 now? They’ve failed to win before Week 3 in eight of their last nine seasons. However, one piece of good news is the return of tight end Evan Engram, who will have limited availability as he continues to recover from a calf injury. Another cause for optimism was that 41-yard run that Saquon Barkley broke off late against Washington. Apart from that big play, Barkley had 12 other carries — for just 16 yards. That one burst showed the recovery that he has made and could give Giants fans optimism about his return to what could be an explosive offense.
The Giants have an opportunistic defense, and there are just too many times when Atlanta’s offense bogs down. On offense, the Giants have big-play capability from Daniel Jones and Barkley. There is also the possibility that Jones will turn the ball over, but you have to wonder how hungry Atlanta actually is at this point.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
It’s a bit odd that New York is the slight favorite, but both teams come in winless, and the Falcons come with a lot of questions. The Giants have plenty of implosion potential as well, though, so I’m going with the team that has the slight edge in terms of value. I predict a final score of Atlanta 30, New York 24.
NFL Betting Odds
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