Maybe Tiki Barber was right when he said that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has lost respect in the locker room. People betting online that the New York Giants would be Super Bowl contenders this season are still hanging on to that hope week after week. The NFL betting on the Giants can get a bit difficult when they show absolutely no offensive or defensive identity to speak of.
As expected, the Giants have a formidable pass rush that is ranked second in the league only allowing 140 pass yards per game. But the Giants rank 22nd in the league at points surrendered per game with 22. If you look at the scores the Giants have put up this season, it shows that the Giants are finding ways to lose to teams that they have a chance at beating. The Giants have lost to the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans this season with the biggest blow-out loss coming at the hands of the Colts. The Colts are a throwing team with a marginal rushing game. The mystery surrounding the Giants deepens.
The NFL predictions surrounding the Houston Texans in the preseason seem to be coming true. The Texans are the class of the AFC South and look to unseat Peyton Manning and company as the default AFC South divisional champions this season. The Texans are a strong team on offense. They have the best rushing game in the league and their passing attack is ranked eighth. The only problem for the Texans coming into this game is that all-pro wide receiver Andre Johnson may not play, and if he does play he will not be 100 percent.
Houston running back Arian Foster has already rushed for 537 yards this season and that is only in four games. He is on a pace to rush for over 2,100 yards and score 16 touchdowns. In short, Arian Foster will be the Giants worst nightmare when these two teams kick off for week five.
If Eli Manning and the Giants had an answer to the Texans high-powered scoring attack, then that may take some pressure off of the New York defense. But with all-pro running back Brandon Jacobs in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse and not on the field, the Giants are having problems scoring points. The Giants offense is only averaging 18 points a game and, even with the league’s highest paid quarterback under center, New York just cannot afford to get into a shoot-out with a team like Houston. But because of their inability to stop the run, the Giants may find themselves in a scoring battle that they are ill-equipped to win.
Pick: Houston Texans 45-17
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