Giants vs. Packers Prediction Odds, Spread and Over/Under for NFL Week 5 (Can Packers Slow Down Saquon Barkley?)
By Josh Yourish
Soft schedule or not, the New York Giants are 3-1 under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
They have the same record as the Green Bay Packers and in Week 5, the Packers have a chance to win their fourth straight after a Week 1 debacle.
The Giants can’t be contenders can they? Well, the Packers just went to overtime against Bailey Zappe, so maybe the Packers aren’t either.
We had a thriller in London in Week 4, and it could be more of the same at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week.
Giants vs. Packers Odds, Spread and Total
Green Bay and New York Betting Trends
- Green Bay is 2-2 ATS
- New York is 3-1 ATS
- New York is 2-0 outright as an underdog
- Green Bay games are 3-1 to the under
- New York games are 3-1 to the under
Giants vs. Packers Prediction and Pick
The Giants essentially beat the Chicago Bears in Week 4 without a quarterback for much of the game. Both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor ended up hurt and Barkley led a drive as the wildcat quarterback to set up a field goal to extend their lead to 20-12, the final margin.
Not that Barkley taking snaps from shotgun really changed the game plan much. Daboll seemed to identify that Chicago couldn’t stop their running game, so the Giants only threw the ball 16 times all game between Jones and Taylor and the two combined for 82 passing yards. However, Jones ran the ball six times for 68 yards and two touchdowns, Taylor carried it three times for 30 yards before getting injured and Barkley finished with 31 carries for 146 yards. Tack on another 18 yards from Matt Breida and the Giants had 262 rushing yards.
The Patriots used a similar game plan against Green Bay this past week just with less athletic quarterbacks. New England threw for 104 and ran for 167 yards. It wouldn’t have been so close without a pick-six by Jack Jones off of Aaron Rodgers, but the Patriots down to their third string QB forced overtime at Lambeau Field.
Joe Berry, the Packers defensive coordinator loves to play in light boxes and in 2021 they employed a light box 72% of the time. He isn’t one to load up to stop the run and I don’t think that will change even against New York. The Giants will run the ball very well against Green Bay’s defense that is allowing five yards per carry and only 6.3 yards per attempt through the air.
Pick: Giants +8 (-110)
Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE