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Get ready for an ugly, grind-it-out non-conference matchup between the Giants and Steelers on Monday night.
The Giants have lost consecutive matchups against Cincinnati and Philadelphia, plummeting from potential NFC East contender status to the bottom of the division in just two weeks.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is fresh off a dominant 22-point win against the Jets in Russell Wilson’s first game as the Steelers starting quarterback, propelling them into a tie with the Ravens atop the AFC North.
Here’s a preview of the game with our best bets against the spread and on the total.
Giants vs. Steelers spread
After a 25-point home loss against the Eagles, the Giants enter Monday night’s game as 6.5-point road underdogs.
They have covered the spread in three of their seven games, while the Steelers have a 5-2 against the spread (ATS) record.
The Giants’ eye-opening road win against the Seahawks three weeks ago without star rookie wideout Malik Nabers put the NFL on notice that there might be a dark horse in the NFC East.
However, the G-Men have since dropped back-to-back home games to Philadelphia and Cincinnati, scoring a combined 10 points against teams that have had their fair share of defensive struggles this season.
Now the Giants head to Pittsburgh to face a defense that ranks second in opponent points per game, eighth in opponent yards per game and has Pro Football Focus’ third-highest-graded defense through the season’s first seven weeks.
Don’t expect the switch to be flipped this week against the Steelers.
Daniel Jones threw for just 99 yards against an Eagles secondary that was among the worst football units last season. While Philly’s defensive backfield has made some sizable strides, Jones’ struggles last week were inexplicable.
Still, Brian Daboll believes Jones gives his team “the best chance to win.” Unfortunately for the quarterback, he faces one of the NFL’s most formidable front lines on Monday night, one that leads the NFL in sacks and is third in QB hits.
I’ll ride with the Steelers at home despite the Giants’ strange aptitude for showing up in road games.
Recommendation: Steelers -6.5 (-104, FanDuel)
Giants vs. Steelers point total
The point total for this matchup is the lowest in the NFL in Week 8 and the only one in the 30s. It opened at 42.5 but some books now have it listed as low as 36.
The Giants have only played in one game that eclipsed the point total line this season. The Steelers are also below .500 to the Over with a 3-4 mark.
Somehow the total for this matchup still feels too high.
The Giants’ offense has reverted to form, as it has failed to gain any traction on the ground or in the air. Since Jones entered the NFL in 2019, no team has scored fewer points than the Giants, who have their lowest scoring average (14.1 ppg) this year of the six he has played.
Then there’s the Giants defense, which transforms from Clark Kent to Superman when playing on the road, particularly in the red zone. It is tied for second in the NFL in opponent red-zone scoring percentage (touchdowns only) on the road but last in that category at MetLife Stadium.
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Pittsburgh should have some offensive success with Wilson, who had his moments in his first game back from injury (6.2 yards per play, seventh-best in Week 7), but the Giants’ elite pass rush (first in sack percentage) could wreak havoc at times.
And the Justin Field-less Steelers don’t have a strong enough running game to exploit a Giants defense that Saquon Barkley and the Eagles just decimated.
Recommendation: Under 36.5 points (-110, Caesars).
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.