Giants Patriots Odds


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The New England Patriots host the New York Giants Sunday in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots were unbeaten heading into that game following the 2007 season, and the Giants pulled off a stunning 17-14 upset. Eli Manning led a 12-play, 83-yard drive in the final few minutes that ended in a game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. Can they pull off another improbable upset this weekend?

Odds makers have installed New England as 9-point home favorites with a total set of 51 points.

New England

The Patriots will certainly have plenty of reason to be motivated heading into this one. Not only do they want revenge from that Super Bowl defeat, they are also looking to bounce back from their worst loss of the season last week. New England (5-2, 3-0 home) was outgained 427-213 in a 25-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tom Brady went just 24 of 35 passing for a season-low 198 yards and two touchdowns.

New England has won 20 straight regular season games at Gillette Stadium, including 31 in a row with Brady at the helm. A return trip home should do wonders for this team, and they will be looking to get Wes Welker back on track. Welker leads the NFL with 57 receptions for 824 yards and six touchdowns, but he’s been held to just 12 catches for 84 yards and a score over their last two games. The Patriots had scored at least 30 points in every game up until their last two contests.

The offense has not been the problem for New England as they rank 3rd in the league in total offense (437.1 yards/game) and 5th in scoring (28.9 points/game). Defense is where the problem lies as the Patriots are last in the league in total defense (424.1 yards/game), including last against the pass (323.1 yards/game). Brady is completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,361 yards with 18 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is their leading rusher with 400 yards and five scores. The return of Kevin Faulk last week should only help boost this offense the rest of the season. He ran for 32 yards and caught five balls for 20 yards against the Steelers.

New York

The Giants continue to find ways to win close games. New York (5-2, 2-1 away) has won five of their last six, and their last three victories have all come by four points or less. Their lone loss was a bad one as they were beaten at home by the Seattle Seahawks 36-25. This team has faced a very easy schedule to this point with the exception of a road win at Philadelphia. This will easily be their stiffest test yet Sunday.

New York is coming off a 20-17 come-from-behind home victory over the winless Miami Dolphins. Eli Manning was a big part of that comeback, completing 31 of 45 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. He found Victor Cruz on a 25-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter which proved to be the game-winner. Manning ranks third in the NFL with a 102.1 passer rating, trailing only Aaron Rodgers and Brady.

For the season, Manning is completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,127 yards with 13 touchdowns to five interceptions. He leads the league’s No. 11 unit in total offense (373.2 yards/game). While they are 4th in passing offense (287.6 yards/game), the Giants are just 29th in rushing (85.6 yards/game). Brandon Jacobs has been hurt, and Ahmad Bradshaw has a fractured foot, though he believes he will play this week. Also, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is dealing with a hamstring injury, center David Baas has a knee ailment, and defensive end Osi Umenyiora has a shoulder injury. The Giants lead the league in sacks with 26, including 14 over their last three games. Umenyiora has six sacks on the year despite missing time due to injury.

Betting Trends

The Giants are 29-13 ATS in their last 42 road games, but 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.

The Patriots are 25-9-1 ATS in their last 35 games following a S.U. loss, and 39-19-1 ATS in their last 59 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0 points.

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