The first year of the Ben McAdoo era was a successful one for the New York Giants. Big Blue returned to the postseason for the first time in five years and was the only team to beat the Cowboys when it mattered in the regular season, not once, but twice. Dallas is New York’s primary competition for the division title this season and there will be plenty of buzz surrounding both of their games.
NFC East Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dallas Cowboys +185
New York Giants +189
Philadelphia Eagles +265
Washington Redskins +445
Why the New York Giants Will Win the NFC East
Eli Manning might have the best trio of receivers to throw to in the league. The Giants weren’t content to just sit with what they had after Victor Cruz left in free agency. New York went out and signed Brandon Marshall away from their cross-town rival and he will be an immediate contributor. Marshall led the league in touchdown passes in 2015 with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball, but his numbers tanked after Fitzpatrick regressed last season.
The Giants liked what they saw out of Sterling Shepard as a rookie too. Shepard had some struggles but came into his stride as the season wore on. With the signing of Marshall, he can go back to where he is best suited and become a full-time slot receiver.
Odell Beckham Jr. is the best playmaking receiver in the NFL. His catches are already the stuff of legend and he has been remarkably consistent in his first three seasons. With the other talent at wide receiver, it will be hard to contain him and he has a great chance at putting up his best season yet in a contract year.
New York has one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. All too often, free acquisitions don’t turn out the way teams want them too, but Damon Harrison and Olivier Vernon were worth the money the team paid for them last year. They helped this to be one of the best run-stuffing teams in the NFL and Jason Pierre-Paul was free to rush the passer with blockers occupied with his line-mates.
Janoris Jenkins is the kind of shutdown cornerback you need in this league. Jenkins was another free agent that the Giants gave a massive contract too in Spendalooza 2016 and he met the lofty expectations. He should be even better with another year in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
Why the New York Giants Won't Win the NFC East
Eli Manning can be a turnover machine. He has led the league in interceptions three times in his career and has thrown at least 10 interceptions in every season in which he has been a 16-game starter. He is durable, having played 192 regular season games in a row, but his numbers took a noticeable dip last season.
The running game is a concern too. Rashad Jennings is gone and that means someone else is going to have to carry the load. Paul Perkins is the probable starter, but he is unproven. Neither Shane Vereen or Orleans Darkwa are primary backs that you can rely on either. If the team doesn’t have a decent running game, that will lead to opposing teams dropping more players in coverage against Manning and will likely lead to more mistakes.
This offensive line isn’t particularly good. The unit really struggled after Justin Pugh went down last season and there are questions hovering over every projected starter. An injury or two might spell disaster with the lack of depth along the line too.
Although Jenkins and Landon Collins were very good last season, the secondary allowed 251.1 yards per game through the air, 23rd in the league. Eli Apple had some issues adjusting to the speed of the game last season and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is past his prime. Teams that spread the Giants out in the secondary, like Green Bay, can have success against Big Blue.
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