New York Giants vs. Houston Texans Pick

New York Giants (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS) vs. Houston Texans (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS)
NFL Week 3
When: Sunday, September 23rd 2018 – 1:00 PM ET
Where: NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
TV: FOX
By: Keith Franks, NFL Football Handicapper, Predictem.com

Spread: New York Giants +6 / Houston -6 (Bovada)
Total: 41

The Houston Texans and the New York Giants will square off in an AFC vs. NFC clash where the South meets the East at NRG Stadium on Sunday, September 23rd. The festivities will start at 1:00 PM ET. The two teams last met in 2014 where the Giants defeated the Texans handily by a score of 30-17. The teams have met only four times in history with the Giants winning the last three games in a row. The Giants have also covered in their last two consecutive outings against the Texans.

As it was entailed previously, the G-Men had a very tumultuous 2017 when they finished with a 3-13 record that saw all kinds of chaos unfold administratively within the Giants organization. Under the captainship of a new Head Coach in Pat Shurmur, optimism was once again in the air in The Big Apple as Big Blue moved into 2018. This was only heightened by an excellent draft class pieced together by the Giants headed by running back Saquon Barkley.

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So far, 2018 has not gone according to plan. The Giants in two separate occasions now were a field-goal underdog in some markets against both Jacksonville at home in MetLife Stadium and on the road at Dallas. The Giants have come up short in both times, losing by a combined twelve points in their two opening losses. The discussion once again circulates around the poor performance of quarterback Eli Manning accented by a porous offensive line. These attributes have been the subject matter of many memes posted across the internet poking fun at the play of these individuals.

There was a lot of promise surrounding the Texans as it headed into 2018. After all, Houston returns personnel on both sides of the ball who would have been instrumental in helping the Texans attain success in 2017. This of course is a reference to quarterback DeShaun Watson and defensive end J.J Watt who were both shelved for the remainder of the season in 2017 when they suffered grisly injuries. Both men are back in 2018 but the Texans have yet to get a W regardless.

The Texans’ two results this season were authored against the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans. Both teams made the playoffs in 2017 so the competitive quality was certainly formidable. Against New England as a 6.5-point pup, the Texans would lose by a touchdown-plus extra point causing them to fail to cover by razor-thin margins. A similar experience would unfold last week when Houston would lose outright as a 3.5-point favorite falling to divisional rival Tennessee by virtue of a field goal margin. Against Tennessee, the Texans held a lead in the fourth quarter. Against New England, Houston trailed by as much as 18 but managed to diminish the deficit after shutting out New England’s offense from the mid third quarter onward.

As long as the Giants continue to have trouble with their offensive line, they will be a very risky play no matter where they are positioned. When you factor this into the question with the narrative that Houston has perhaps the best defensive player in the NFL in defensive end J.J Watt and this could very well be a long day at the office for Manning and company. Houston’s defense is loaded with talent and as long as they can control the line of scrimmage, the offensive weapons that New York boasts about will be rendered ineffective.

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The Giants’ defense is still a work in progress and it does not help that Big Blue is tasked with stopping one of the most explosive duos in all of the NFL. This of course is a reference to Watson and his dynamic wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Very simply, the Giants do not have any answer for Houston on either side of the football and as a result this contest can get very ugly, very quick. The Texans will make a statement here and confirm to all believers that this team will be relevant in 2018. New York will once again find itself going back to the drawing board after yet another loss in the Lone Star state. Swallow the points.