New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints Prediction 10/3/21
New York Giants (0-3 SU, 1-2 ATS) vs. New Orleans Saints (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS)
Week 4 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 1PM EDT
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: Fox
Point Spread: NYG +7.5/NO -7.5 (Bovada – Bet it FREE with a 50% bonus there!)
Over/Under Total: 43.5
The New York Giants come to the Superdome on Sunday for a week four matchup with the New Orleans Saints. The Giants have started the season slumping once again and despite being in two of three games, injuries and other overall woes have them looking pretty rough heading into this matchup. The Saints have been all over the place too, but steadied the ship with a 28-13 road win over the Patriots on Sunday. With weather causing their first home game to be held on neutral turf, they get their belated home-opener on Sunday in what seems on the surface to be a favorable spot.
Giants Look to Recover
A rough start to the season is one thing. Against Denver, Washington, and the Falcons, a supporter would have liked them to get one of those wins. But to see what we saw on Sunday makes it hard for a Giants’ backer to soldier on with any confidence. An offense that is already struggling saw two receivers leave the game with Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard going down. Their most reliable piece on “D” tore his ACL with LB Blake Martinez also falling prey to the injury bug. In a winnable game on Sunday, the Giants fell to a game-winning FG with time running out, the second time that has happened in two weeks.
It sets up an image of the Giants that is troubling. They can’t deliver a win when it’s right there. The coaching looks off at points during the game on both sides of the ball. There seems to be waning support on an almost-indecipherable level and through just three games, it’s starting to shape up into a disaster that even surpasses what the biggest Giants’ naysayers were projecting. Injuries now put a hurt on an offense that on paper looked decent at one point. With a stocked receiver crew adding Kenny Golladay, the continued growth of QB Daniel Jones, and the return of Saquon Barkley, hopes were high But Saquon is a little slow out of the gates after a bad injury, Golladay has been lukewarm, and now the WR package looks diminished with Shepard and Slayton pulling their hamstrings.
Possibilities for the Giants
We’ve seen the Saints cover a pretty wide spectrum with their play through three games, from flattening the Packers, 38-3, to getting bounced around by the Panthers, 28-7. With Winston at the helm at quarterback, those kinds of results are to be expected, no longer the steady force they were the last several seasons. This presents an opening for the Giants. With Barkley getting more up to speed and Jones being mobile, maybe they can show some of the fire they showed against Washington a few weeks ago in a one-point loss.
As evidenced by the Giants holding the Falcons to 17 last week, even with the late-game collapse that set up the winning field goal, the Giants defense is the best part of the team. Against a New Orleans offense that is still working things out, maybe this is a spot where they can make an impact. The secondary has faltered a few times this season, but it isn’t a bad group and they should give Winston and a handcuffed aerial crew some ample resistance. And the Giants’ defensive front could help curb Alvin Kamara, while giving Winston enough pressure to force him into mistakes.
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Easy to Like the Saints This Week
Other than just overall team trajectory, there are some matchup quirks that would appear to not favor the Giants. While the Saints’ secondary can be exploited in the right spots, the Giants’ receiving crew is battered and with Golladay leading the way with little support, Jones might not be able to exploit this area of the Saints’ defense. More worrisome perhaps for the Giants are the prospects of what an attacking Saints’ defensive front will do against a New York offensive line that is really in the dumps. It undermines almost all the hope anyone might have, whether it’s the possibility that Barkley can resume his old form or if Jones can take the next step in becoming a dual-threat guy who can make this work.
With the New Orleans “D” pumped at home in a home-opener that should be met with vociferous fan-support, this is a spot where they could potentially feast on a compromised Giants’ offense playing behind that shoddy front. As we’ve already seen this season, that type of offensive futility can put undue pressure on a Giants’ defense that has its good points, but is rendered more impotent as they continually get strung out. Somewhat hidden in the equation is a Saints’ defense that has given up a total of 42 points in three games, not a formula that would appear to shake out well for the Giants’ meandering offense.
Take the Points
Something about taking the Saints seems too easy this week. I smell a rat. But there are football reasons, as well. The Giants’ defense might actually be in decent shape with a Saints’ offense that doesn’t always fire. Their secondary could fare well against a Saints’ offense lacking stable and dependable receivers. They don’t get a lot of tight end production. Winston can make mistakes and Kamara is really the only reliable source of consistent production, with Taysom Hill making spot appearances to liven things up. I think that shakes out for a spot where this Giants’ defense can prevent a big day. Their prospects on offense are in fact a bit dim amidst the injuries and shaky form of their key players and that line. But maybe they won’t need a ton in a game that might be subdued enough for the Giants to sneak out of town with the cover. I’ll take a whirl on the Giants this week.
Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the New York Giants plus 7.5 points. Bet ALL your Week 4 NFL picks FREE by taking advantage of a 100% REAL CASH bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $1000 at Betnow Sportsbook!
