The Green Bay Packers will host the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football in NFL Week 5 action.
Coming off of a bye, the 2-1 Green Bay Packers will play host to the 2-2 New York Giants on Sunday Night Football this week. Prior to the bye, the Packers came away with an impressive 34-27 victory over the Detroit Lions, while the Giants are fresh off of a 24-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
After a rough first two weeks, Aaron Rodgers was able to get the offense back on track in Week 3. They were incredible in the first half against the Lions, but a vanilla game plan held them back from putting significant points on the board in the second half.
Rodgers is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and he has a ton of exciting offensive weapons to work with. However, their production has been spotty this season. Was the first half in Week 3 a sign of things to come, or is this offense not as good as what we are used to seeing?
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The Giants defense has improved this season, but they are struggling with a ton of injuries in the secondary. It will be interesting to see how the Giants try to keep Rodgers in check. I expect cornerback Janoris Jenkins to primarily line up on Jordy Nelson which could make for a big game for Randall Cobb against the rest of the Giants secondary. That being said, the Giants have a strong pass rush up front. Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul are a strong duo on the edges, and the Packers have struggled to protect Rodgers this season.
The Packers have had one of the best rush defenses in the NFL through the early part of this season. The Giants will likely have trouble moving the ball on the ground in this game, making Eli Manning and company incredibly important. Manning is inconsistent but is capable of a big game, especially against an exploitable Packers secondary. Odell Beckham is coming off of his worst performance in the NFL against the Vikings, but the Packers don’t have anyone like Xavier Rhodes to keep him down for a second week in a row.
I expect the Giants to look to get Beckham involved early and often in this game, and the Packers may not be able to slow him down. Manning, Beckham and rookie receiver Sterling Shepard will be a huge key for the Giants in this game.
Odds
Line: GB -7
Over/Under: 49
The Packers enter this game as obvious favorites at home but I expect this one to be closer than the line suggests. Rodgers got the offense rolling the last time we saw him, but that was against an awful Lions defense. Let’s see what they can do against a better defensive unit. Also, the Giants passing attack could be set up for success against an ugly Packers secondary.
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Prediction
I am going with the upset here. The Giants should be able to create pressure on Rodgers. He will still likely have a nice game, but they will make life difficult for him. Also, I don’t think their defense can stop Manning and Beckham.
I see a close, high-scoring affair here, but give me the road dogs.
Pick: New York Giants 31, Green Bay Packers 27