NFL Odds: Giants vs. Ravens

Giants Odds	+9.5 [BET NOW]
Ravens Odds	-9.5 [BET NOW]
Over/Under	44 [BET NOW]
Time	1 p.m. ET
TV	FOX
Odds as of Saturday night and via PointsBet, where you can bet $20 on the Giants or Ravens to win $125 if they score.

After a hot stretch of four straight wins, the New York Giants looked like the team to beat in the NFC East.

Since that run, little has gone right for the Giants, and they lost their last two.

With two games left, the Giants are one game behind Washington for the division lead. They will need to solve their offensive problems quickly if they hope to jump ahead of Washington and make the playoffs.

The Ravens have followed the exact opposite path as the Giants. An ice-cold stretch where they lost four of five games had everyone selling their Ravens stock.

Now riding a three-game winning streak and averaging 40 points per game, the Ravens are back to being a team you don’t want to see in the playoffs. The Ravens currently sit outside the playoff picture but should just need to win their last two games to make it.

In a game with playoff implications on the line, let’s see if we can find an angle with value.

New York Giants

Daniel Jones’ hamstring injury has sent an offense that was trending upward back into disarray.

Without a healthy Jones leading the charge, the Giants have averaged 132 passing yards and 10 points per game. The Giants’ pass attack did receive some relief, as the Ravens’ will likely be without starting corners Jimmy Smith and Marcus Peters.

However, beating Baltimore’s defense — which ranks third in yards per attempt allowed — will still be no easy task.

Not being able to run the ball recently has put too much pressure on backup quarterback Colt McCoy. With only 76 rushing yards per game in their last two games, lack of balance could be why the offense underwhelmed.

Facing the Ravens provides an opportunity to bounce back, though, as the Ravens rank 17th in rushing yards allowed per attempt.

Defensively, the Giants will be a test for the red-hot Ravens’ offense. New York’s defense has been built with big physical run stoppers and the results have shown, as they rank sixth in yards allowed per rush.

The addition of linebacker Blake Martinez has taken this rushing defense to the next level. Martinez ranks ninth at linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.

The other offseason addition of cornerback James Bradberry has made the pass defense a formidable one. Bradberry ranks sixth at cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Ravens’ passing attack relies on misdirection to create big plays thanks to their elite rushing attack. Stopping the passing attack starts with taking away tight end Mark Andrews.

This is much easier said than done, as Andrews has had at least 13 yards per target in his last three games.

Silas Walker/Getty Images. Pictured: Mark Andrews

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens’ offense has looked unstoppable recently, largely thanks to Lamar Jackson playing as he did during his MVP run.

During the Ravens’ recent three-game winning streak, Jackson has been able to score at least three touchdowns in each game. The impressive part of this has been his ability to recognize what the defense is giving him and take advantage by throwing or rushing.

After his slow start to the season, J.K. Dobbins has taken over the lead back role, leading the Ravens in carries over their last four games. His production shows that he is deserving of the role, too, as he has averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry and scored in each game.

This will be Dobbins’ first major test as a starter, since he has not faced a defensive front as talented as the Giants’.

Defensively, Baltimore bounced back last week, holding the Jaguars to 14 points and 267 yards. This was a good sign of recovery after letting the Browns score 42 points and gain 493 yards.

Without two of their starting corners, slowing down quality offenses will be difficult. Luckily, the Ravens only have matchups against teams with bad offenses remaining: the Giants and the Bengals.

This should give time for Peters and Smith to take the next couple of weeks to rest before the playoff run.

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Giants-Ravens Pick

Against the Giants, Baltimore’s offense will see more resistance than they have in recent weeks. This should prevent the Ravens from having the explosive games we have seen during their hot streak.

However, the Cardinals and Browns still won comfortably against the Giants the last two weeks while only scoring 26 and 20 points, respectively. Baltimore could do much of the same.

The Giants’ offense will need to play better if they hope to break out of their two-game slump. Against the Ravens, who rank fourth in points scored and ninth in yards allowed, this will be an uphill battle.

With the Ravens’ offense clicking, the Giants’ front will have trouble stopping them for four quarters.

While Baltimore’s secondary is shorthanded due to injury, it is hard to envision McCoy playing well enough to keep pace with the Ravens. This sets the stage for a game similar to New York’s previous two — low-scoring but never truly competitive.

Pick: Under 44; Ravens -9.5

Bet $20 at PointsBet to win $125 if the Ravens score