Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants
The New York Giants (2-2) seem to have righted the ship, winning their last two games in convincing fashion after an 0-2 start, while the Atlanta Falcons can’t seem to get past their win-a-game-lose-a-game cycle. Big Blue blasted the Washington Redskins last week on the road 45-14, getting 300 yards and four touchdowns from Eli Manning. Atlanta lost at Minnesota a week ago 41-28 as Matt Ryan threw two picks behind a patchwork offensive line and the Falcons couldn’t stop the Vikings offense, which piled up 558 yards—241 on the ground and 317 in the air behind rookie Teddy Bridgewater. In regular-season play, the Falcons have an 11-10 edge over the Giants in the all-time series, winning the last meeting 34-0 in Atlanta in Week 15 of the 2012 season.
Details for Sunday’s game are below:
Date: Oct. 5, 2014
Start Time: 1 p.m. Eastern
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Stadium: MetLife Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket
Radio: Sirius XM Radio
Ticket information: For Giants ticket info click here. For Falcons ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
Atlanta has to hope its brought in enough bodies so the Falcons won’t have to play tight end Levine Toilolo at right tackle this week. Line depth is a big problem for Atlanta, which lost center Joe Hawley and right tackle Lamar Holmes to season-ending injuries last week. The Giants’ offense, meanwhile, seems to be finding its stride under first-year coordinator Ben McAdoo. Manning has career highs in passer rating (93.6) and competion percentage (66.9) and has six TD passes in the last two games, both wins.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Atlanta plus-4
Moneyline: Atlanta plus-175, N.Y. Giants minus-205
O/U: 50.5
Prediction
The offensive line isn’t the only place where the Falcons are beat up. Safety William Moore is out for Atlanta and this seems like a bad time to play the Giants when you’re short-handed on the back end. There is a possible revenge factor at work, however, as long-time Giants pass-rushing specialist Osi Umenyiora returns to the Meadowlands for the first time as a member of the visiting team.
Final Score: Giants 26, Falcons 23