The Giants and Rams meet Monday night in a matchup that pits an unbeaten New York team against a Los Angeles squad still stinging from its season-opening loss to the 49ers in Australia.
New York enters 1-0 after a lopsided win over Dallas, while the Rams dropped their opener and now get extra rest, having played on Sept. 10, 11 days before this game. Los Angeles remains the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, even as the Giants are still considered longshots to make the playoffs.
The point spread has moved between 6.5 and 7.5 in favor of the Rams through the week. Coach John Harbaugh has built his team around ball control, leaning on the run to keep opposing offenses off the field.
Analysts caution that beating a struggling Cowboys defense last week doesn’t tell the full story. Dallas had one of the league’s worst defenses last season and didn’t appear to improve much despite adding players like Rashawn Gary. The Rams, by contrast, are unlikely to start 0-2, though it’s not impossible.
After one week of play, advanced metrics rank the Rams 29th in DVOA, while the Giants sit just outside the top 10 at No. 11.
Injuries Could Matter
The Rams’ defensive front has been hit hard. Myles Garrett is on injured reserve, and Aaron Donald’s status remains unclear. Last season the Rams allowed 4.2 yards per carry, roughly middle of the pack, but that unit included Jared Verse, who has since moved to Cleveland.
With that group thinner than before, some handicappers believe the Giants can keep this game within one score if their running game gets going.
One betting model favors the Rams by 10 points based on last year’s rosters, but with both teams having changed since then — and this year’s Giants viewed as roughly 2.5 points better than last season’s squad — that gap may not hold.
The Numbers
- Giants +7.5 (-115, BetMGM)
- Running back Cam Skattebo over 12.5 carries (53.1 percent, Novig)
- Alternate line: Skattebo over 19.5 carries (+750, DraftKings)
Skattebo carried the ball 17 times last week and might have gotten more if not for an unusual sequence involving Devin Singletary, who scored a touchdown after the offense ran the same play four times in a row. Bettors are watching whether Skattebo’s workload climbs further against a Rams run defense missing key pieces.
Some bettors also see value on the over, though Harbaugh’s ball-control approach — a contrast to the more pass-heavy style New York ran under former coach Brian Daboll — could keep the scoring modest.
