18 Oct 2009

NFL Betting

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints

Eric G looks for any NFL Betting value in the Giants clash with the Saints on Sunday.

The New York Giants visit the Superdome on Sunday to play in the most highly anticipated game of the young NFL season so far against the New Orleans Saints. Both teams carry undefeated records, both teams are led by elite quarterbacks, both have tremendous run games and both have defenses that excel at stopping the run.

The New York Giants are coming off a rout in Oakland last week where they defeated the Raiders 44-7 while the Saints enjoyed their Bye week, giving them plenty of time to prepare for this contest. Eli Manning will play at the Superdome for the first time in his career, the place where his dad spent most of his career, so this will be a special time for the youngest Manning. It'll certainly be a motivating factor for him.

On the other side, speaking of motivation will be Jeremy Shockey who spent 6 years playing for the Giants before leaving on unsettling terms and later crying foul at the way he was treated during his time in the Big Apple. This is the first time he faces his old team. Expect an extra jump in his step. His quarterback Drew Brees has been nothing short of spectacular this year, he's 3rd in the NFL in quarterback rating with 108.4 and their run game has improved dramatically this year with Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas forming one of the best one-two punches in the nfl. Thomas in fact has rushed for 212 yards the past two games alone with 3 touchdowns. He has 12 TD's in his past 9 games. He's averaging 6.4 yards per carry, good enough for 3rd in the NFL. Naturally, the Giants also have a great run game with Ahmad Bradshaw averaging 6.5 yards per carry, 2nd best in the NFL. He had two touchdown runs last week in Oakland. Meanwhile when Brandon Jacobs rushes for over 100+ yards, the Giants are 8-1.

The Saints average 36 points per game, which is tops in the NFL while the Giants allow 14.2 points per game, which is 2nd best in the NFL. You get the picture, these teams are very even. Nobody will be surprised if these two teams meet in the NFC Championship game. The New York Giants had some injury scare with Kevin Boss, Ahmad Bradshaw and Eli Manning all nursing something or another, but all three will be good for Sunday despite being limited in practice this week. The only real advantage right now is the fact that the Saints are playing at home. Despite this, I won't hesitate to take the Giants at 2.7 (as of Friday) at all. This game is such a toss up, it's literally anybody's ballgame and with that payout, it's a risk worth taking.