Detroit Lions (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) vs. New York Giants (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS)
NFL Week 2
Date/Time: Monday, September 18th, 2017 8:30 PM ET
Where: MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
TV:ESPN
by Keith, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: DET +4.5/NYG -4.5
Over/Under Total: OFF
For the second straight week the New York Giants (0-1) will once again be featured in a primetime contest. This time the G-Men will curate the hosting duties as they welcome the Detroit Lions (1-0) to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game will be the Monday Night match-up and is set to kick off at 8:30 PM ET. The game will be televised on ESPN. The two teams enter on contrasting notes. For the Lions, they come in off an impressive come from behind road win when they dispatched the Arizona Cardinals by a score 21-17. The Giants are licking their wounds after they fell in Big D to their arch nemesis the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night. The Giants would be held to just a field goal as the Cowboys would get their revenge against Big Blue when they took them down by a score of 19-3. The Giants and Lions met in December of 2016 at MetLife Stadium, where New York would roll past Detroit in a 17-6 victory.
As mentioned previously, the Giants made some headline-making acquisitions in the off-season. The most noteworthy addition, all-star receiver Brandon Marshall. Many pundits and analysts reveled in the prospects of Marshall stepping in to cultivate a potent one-two punch to complement what could be the games best receiver, Odell Beckham, Jr. Against the Cowboys, OBJ was unavailable and Marshall was virtually absent. The Giants rushing attack was no better. The G-Men were able to produce just 35 yards on the ground as their offense stalled and sputtered. Contrarily, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot had a productive night against the Giants after his initial suspension was lifted to a pending status. The good news for Giants fans is that Beckham is expected to return to the starting line-up for this contest. The prospect of such an event has likely shape-shifted this market.
The biggest narrative surrounding the Detroit Lions this season was the finalization of their contract with franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Lions have made Stafford the highest payed athlete in sports history thanks to a lucrative signing that netted the former Georgia quarterback upwards of 135 million dollars over the span of five years. In their opening fixture against the Arizona Cardinals, Stafford brilliant. The only hiccup suffered was a pick-six Stafford delivered to Cardinals defensive back Justin Bethel. Nevertheless, Staffords outing was prolific. Against a vaunted Cardinals secondary, Stafford would go 29 for 41 with 292 passing yards and four touchdowns. Standout performances were delivered by Lions receivers Golden Tate and newcomer Kenny Golladay. The duo would combine for 14 receptions, 176 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Detroit is looking to return to the post-season after they were unsuccessful in 2016 as a wildcard team. The Lions made an early exit when they traveled to Seattle and were walloped by the Hawks at CenturyLink Field.
In the early going, we have seen initial action on the Lions, in response to a combination of the nasty Giants loss and resurgent Detroit win. The line has diminished by a point and all of the consensus are in on Detroit as 100% like them against the spread according to current numbers. This will likely change but nevertheless it reveals what will likely be a market heavily focused on Week One results. This could be especially true with the Giants as they looked to be in terrible form whilst being broadcasted to national audiences. The Detroit/Arizona affair was one that was of regional coverage so chances are far less saw the contest. The heavy emphasis is likely on New Yorks apparent absence of an offense. Essentially what this sets up is a perfect buy-low situation with a football team that has proven success in their own backyard. The Giants are a very difficult team to beat in the Meadowlands and even more so at night with a rabid fan base behind them. Detroit is also notorious for suffering many road woes and this scenario positions us ideally to take back a short-priced favorite. Dive on in.
KEITHs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: NEW YORK GIANTS -4.5. *** Bet your Det/NYG pick using your credit card at an online bookie where it WILL work for deposits and where you’ll receive a generous 100% signup bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $250! (Example: Deposit $250 and they’ll give you an extra $250 FREE!) Find this great offer at Bovada Sportsbook.