The Detroit Lions and the New York Giants are the featured matchup on Monday Night Football in Week 2 of the new NFL season. Kickoff from MetLife Stadium for this NFC tilt is slated for 8:30 p.m. (ET) with ESPN carrying the national broadcast.
Detroit at New York Game Overview
The Lions made a pretty loud roar in their season opener at home with a convincing 35-23 victory against Arizona as 2.5-point underdogs. The total easily went OVER the closing 48.5-point line. Going back to last season, Detroit stumbled down the stretch with three straight-up losses before losing to Seattle in the playoffs to go a costly 0-5 against the spread in its final five games. The total stayed UNDER in nine of its last 11 contests.
Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford recently got the big pay day he was looking for in a new contract and he lived up to all the lofty expectations against the Cardinals last Sunday with 292 yards passing and four passing touchdowns while completing 29 of his 41 attempts. Things did not start so well for him with a pick-six that went the other way for 82 yards to give Arizona the early 7-0 lead. The best news for Detroit coming out of Sunday’s win was a defensive effort that held the Cardinals to 309 yards of total offense.
New York probably wishes that Sunday night’s game against Dallas was still part of the preseason schedule. The Giants ended up on the wrong end of a 19-3 grinder as six-point road underdogs. The total stayed well UNDER the 47.5-point closing line in that loss and it has now stayed UNDER in eight of their last 10 games. They come into their home opener with a solid 6-0 SU record in their last six home games while going 5-1 ATS. The total stayed UNDER in four of the six games.
With All-Pro wide receiver out of the lineup due to an ankle injury, New York’s vertical passing game was extremely challenged last Sunday night. Eli Manning completed an impressive 76.3 percent of his 38 passing attempts, but it only added up to 220 yards and just three points on the board. Shane Vereen caught nine balls for 51 yards and Manning’s overall average yards per catch was 7.6. Making things even worse, was a ground game that managed just 2.9 yards a carry on 12 rushing attempts. Beckham remains questionable for this game, but I do not see him missing the home opener in light of last week’s results.
Detroit at New York Game Betting Trends
- The Lions have gone 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games, but they have covered in five of their last seven Monday night games. The total has stayed UNDER in their last seven games following a SU win.
- The Giants are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games following a SU loss, but they have gone 0-5 ATS in their five games in Week 2. The total stayed UNDER in eight of their last 11 games against a NFC team.
- Head-to-head in this NFC matchup, New York has won four of the last five meetings SU with a slight 3-2 edge ATS. It grinded out a 17-6 victory last December as a four-point home favorite. The total has stayed UNDER in three of the last five meetings.
