NFL - New York Giants at Buffalo (1:00 PM ET – FOX)
Leave it to a Tom Coughlin coached team to make things difficult in the latter part of any season.
2007-12-21
Leave it to a Tom Coughlin coached team to make things difficult in the latter part of any season. The Giants have seemingly had the top NFC wildcard spot wrapped up for weeks, but a home loss to Washington and a pair of difficult remaining games have put that in question. Their trip to Buffalo opens back-to-back games vs. the AFC East.
Las Vegas sportsbooks installed the Bills as a 1-1/2 point opening favorite, which has since flipped to the Giants minus-3, with the hosts having been eliminated from playoff contention. New York has seemingly been much more comfortable on the road, going 6-1 SU & 5-2 ATS in ’07. The Bills have been stellar hosts though, going 4-3 SU & 6-1 ATS. Plus, HC Dick Jauron’s teams have gone 13-1 ATS when hosting out-of-conference foes.
The Giants are quickly becoming the very model they had hoped to avoid after last season’s debacle. Early in the year the praise for QB Eli Manning came fast and furious, and now those chants have turned into criticism. The offense has always struggled with turnovers and a lack of discipline and those shortcomings have now come home to roost. Meanwhile the defense is may keep teams in danger in seeking yardage production, but the failures to stop scoring persist.
The Bills will finish on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs, but this season can only be viewed as one of growth and progress. Buffalo was expected to struggle as one of the worst in the game, but what was labeled as the reason for low expectation, namely the rise of youth to starting positions, has become a true asset to a team in need of enthusiasm and heart to compete with teams better equipped for success.
Keys to the Game
The Giants are 6-1 and 5-2 ATS this year on the road, making their final journey of the regular season. New York’s offense has been lagging; nonetheless, they have found ways to win. This might benefit Buffalo who is 22-9 ATS when they allow only 5.5 to 6 net passing yards per attempt. If coach Dick Jauron has made one mistake, it has been staying with J.P. Losman too long. Trent Edwards has had much better grasp of the offense. The Giants are 7-0 ATS when they allow 15 to 21 points, winning by almost 10 points per game.
Trends
~ N.Y. Giants are 19-37 ATS vs. poor passing teams averaging 175 or less passing yards a game.
~ Buffalo is 6-0 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3 this season.
StatFox Edge – Giants cover
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