The NFL preseason opener for both teams will take place on Thursday when the New York Giants travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots.
The Giants had an atrocious 4-13 record last year and finished last in the NFC East. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots finished second in the AFC East with a 10-7 record and earned a wild-card playoff spot.
Despite being on the road, sportsbooks have the New York Giants as -3 (-110) point favorites to take down the New England Patriots +3 (-110). The point total is set at 33.5.
Can Brian Daboll Turn Around New York Giants?
The New York Giants head into 2022 looking to improve on their 4-13 overall record in 2021 and last-place finish in the NFC East. The Giants were 1-8 on the road and dropped five of their six division games.
The Giants will once again utilize Daniel Jones at quarterback and Saquon Barkley at running back, but don’t anticipate seeing either on the field much, if at all, on Thursday.
The New York Giants used to play with a lot of consistency, but that has become challenging in recent years due to the fact that they have had five different head coaches in the last eight seasons. Brian Daboll takes over from Buffalo, and he will look to bring some hard-nosed football to New York.
The Giants’ defense has gotten some great upgrades throughout the summer, notably edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was selected with the fifth overall pick. Together with Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari will give New York a strong pass rush, although their preseason usage will be constrained.
New Look New England Patriots Host Giants
With the help of the Patriots’ offense and quarterback Mac Jones, New England hopes to once again win the AFC East title. However, don’t anticipate seeing much action from Jones during the preseason.
After Josh McDaniels left for Las Vegas, Matt Patricia has taken over as the play-caller for New England. In the preseason, Bailey Zappe, who was selected by New England in the fourth round, is anticipated to spend a lot of time at quarterback.
DeVante Parker, a seasoned wide receiver who can stretch the field, was added by New England during the offseason. Tyquan Thornton, who was selected in the second round, gives New England’s receiver group more speed, and he should be out on the field for this one. New England finished sixth overall last season with a scoring average of 27.2.
The Pats’ defense is excellent. In the air, they are particularly challenging to solve. They have a lot of secondary depth, which should be on display during preseason games.
Young players like Cameron McGrone and Mac Wilson Sr. have been added to New England’s defense. This is a strong defense that limited opponents to just 17.8 points and ranked second in the NFL.
Free Betting Pick
The coaching staff for the New York Giants is completely different, and they’ll have a tall task with a young roster. They now have new offensive and defensive coordinators in addition to Brian Daboll as their head coach. This could be a slow start for the Giants as the players get comfortable with the new playbooks and strategies.
Additionally, during the preseason, the legendary Bill Belichick frequently plays to win. The Pats have three straight preseasons with a winning record. In their last 11 preseason games, they had an excellent 9-2 record.
In Brian Hoyer, the Patriots have a capable backup quarterback, and Bailey Zappe will want to show that his stellar NCAA career can translate to the NFL.
The Giants’ defense is anticipated to be much better this year, but regulars and top rookies will see action early but will not play much in the second half. For that reason, I expect the Patriots to win and cover at home.
Free Pick: Patriots ML (+105)
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