New York Giants could be in for a long season

Is there a team in the NFL that comes into the 2020 season with more questions than the New York Giants?

With hard line Head Coach Joe Judge taking over, this team is going to be built from the ground up after another dismal campaign in 2019, when the Giants finished 4-12. But there is some optimism heading into this year. Quarterback Daniel Jones comes in off a strong rookie season numbers-wise, and Saquon Barkley is going to get to run the ball behind what looks to be an upgraded offensive line.

Whether or not Judge can break the jinx of Bill Belichick assistants struggling once they leave New England is yet to be seen, of course. He is saying all the right things in preseason, but we will not know how well the camp has taken to the new coach until Week 1, when New York hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first game of the Monday Night Football doubleheader.

For all the optimism about Jones and the new coach, though, there is one glaring issue that sticks out like a sore thumb for the Giants.

Their schedule.

Unfortunately for New York, it has to play the AFC North and NFC West, two of the better divisions in football. The Giants other two games are against Chicago and Tampa Bay, which just happens to have Tom Brady under center and might be the most improved team in the league.

Depending on how the season plays out early, there is a possibility that the Giants are only favored in a couple games all season. If Washington (maybe), Cincinnati (could be) and Arizona (probably) are better than they were last season, New York could go through a whole season as underdogs.

Of course, favorites do not win and underdogs do not lose every game, but this could be a long season for the fans of this club.

PointsBet also has a head to head matchup between the two teams that play in the Meadowlands, with the New York Jets a slight -115 favorite to win more games than the Giants, who are priced at -105.

Since both teams are predicted to be under .500, and the Jets with the slight edge in the over/under win totals (6.5 to 6) it could come down to one game.

Betting on Giants and other NFL teams from New Jersey? Read about Pointsbet promotional codes here and learn how to bet with a free bet bonus. American Gambler website and their NFL prediction page will have all 32 teams up before the season starts on Thursday, September 10 with the defending Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans in a rematch of last season’s AFC Divisional contest.

Predictions

With Philadelphia and Dallas in the division, it seems likely the Giants are fighting for third place before the season begins. With BetMGM, the Cowboys and Eagles are -209 to finish as the top two in the division, dwarfing any other odds for a top two finish. I also like the Giants to start 0-4, which is priced at +240 with the same book.

The Giants’ over/under win total is 6, which means they would have to improve by three games from last season to win the over bet. I just do not see that happening, and would tale the under at -104.