Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are up against the New York Giants, who are a tough out when they’re a big underdog, in the Sunday Night Football betting matchup. The Packers, despite their offensive inconsistency, are listed as seven-point favorites against the Giants at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New York and QB Eli Manning are 15-5 against the spread in their last 20 games as an underdog of at least seven points, according to the OddsShark NFL Database. Green Bay is 13-1 straight up in its last 14 games in October, and is 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS in its last nine home games against NFC East foes.
Green Bay, which was idle in Week 4, is 8-2 SU and 8-1-1 ATS in its last 10 post-bye-week games. The break surely gifted the Packers with time to get SS Morgan Burnett (groin), OLB Clay Matthews and NT Letroy Guion (knee) healthy.
The Packers are healthier on offense but it is stunning to see future Hall of Famer Rodgers completing fewer than 60% of his passes. The Packers’ blocking against DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DE Olivier Vernon will have to be better.
In the passing game, Packers WR Jordan Nelson and WR Randall Cobb could be facing a secondary that is still depleted due to injuries. Two of the Giants’ best one-on-one defenders, CB Eli Apple (hamstring) and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (groin), are iffy to play.
Eli Manning and the Giants are 0-3 SU and ATS in their last three road games against NFC North teams. Manning is up against a Packers defense that is devastating against the run, but dismal – 29th in the 32-team NFL – against the pass. Green Bay has yet to find a replacement for elite CB Sam Shields (concussion). The trio of WRs Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Sterling Shephard should be able to have some success.
The Giants’ middling running game, with RB Orleans Darkwa as the de facto starter, could be hard-pressed to keep Manning and Co. out of obvious passing downs. The onus will be on the aerial game, where Beckham will be out to avoid a third consecutive subpar performance. The acrobatic receiver had only 23 yards during the Giants’ Week 4 road defeat in Minnesota.
The visiting team has prevailed in seven of the past 10 games of this matchup. The total has gone over in four of the Giants’ last five games in Week 5. The total has gone under in six of the Packers’ last seven games. Sunday night’s total is at 48 points on the NFL betting lines.
