A suddenly resurgent Giants team travels down to the Big Easy and looks to extend an unlikely late-season winning streak to four games against a Saints squad that just snapped a three-game skid with a 28-6 victory over the Panthers.
While both teams are still technically in the NFC wild-card picture, they remain long shots to qualify for the postseason. However, each team’s remaining games are important for general morale, and in the case of New Orleans’ Dennis Allen and his staff, their futures with the franchise may be on the line as well.
Although the hotter team, the Giants are sizable road underdogs in the NFL Week 15 odds. Is the public on to something, or is there a chance to capture some value? Without further ado, let’s dive into our Giants vs. Saints best bets.
Giants vs Saints Odds
NFL odds used for this New York vs New Orleans preview were found at DraftKings Sportsbook unless otherwise noted and are current as of Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Saints (-245) • Giants (+200)
- Spread: Saints -5.5 (-110) • Giants +5.5 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 39 (-108) • Under 39 (-112)
- Implied Score: Saints 22.25, Giants 16.75
Giants vs Saints Predictions
Score Pick: Giants 20, Saints 18
The Giants have found success not only at an unlikely juncture of the season – their current winning streak began in the wake of a 49-17 loss to the Cowboys – but with a very unlikely quarterback. Undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito has completed 65.9 percent of his passes while generating an 8:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he’s added another 154 yards and a score on the ground.
DeVito has already completed 14 passes of 20+ yards, including two of over 40, so his success isn’t just the byproduct of a dink-and-dunk approach. Head coach Brian Daboll is naturally trusting his young signal-caller more each week, and DeVito’s rapport with Wan’Dale Robinson in the Week 14 win over the Packers was especially encouraging.
While DeVito and the air attack will undoubtedly play an important complementary role in any success the Giants have, it’s Saquon Barkley’s work on the ground that should tilt this game slightly in favor of New York. The Saints are allowing an NFL-high 191.3 rushing yards per game in the last three, surrendering a whopping 5.2 yards per carry.
Barkley has found a way to make an impact most weeks despite the Giants’ carousel of quarterbacks and lack of a consistent air attack for a chunk of the campaign. The versatile back is averaging 83.6 rushing yards and another 17.8 yards through the air over his last eight games, and he’s rushed for at least 83 yards in five of them.
It’s worth noting that both defenses have been very good at ball hawking, with New York and New Orleans respectively picking off 13 and 14 passes. In addition to DeVito’s relative inexperience, Derek Carr has frequently struggled and could still be without Rashid Shaheed (thigh) and Taysom Hill (foot). There’s the potential for plenty of stalled drives.
Ultimately, I’m taking the Giants to prevail in a low-scoring affair due to Barkley’s ability to wear down the defense and provide some explosive plays along the way.
Giants vs Saints Best Bets & Props
Giants +5.5 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit(s)
The Giants have the critical intangibles of confidence and momentum on their side. DeVito has continued to improve, and he seems to be developing rapport with his eclectic group of pass catchers. Carr has struggled enough to give me confidence in a Giants cover at minimum as my NFL bet of the day, especially with New York’s defense quietly coming on in recent weeks.
Giants (+200)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit(s)
Beyond a cover, there’s certainly a chance for the Giants to get an outright win. The Saints are just 3-3 at home and may still not be at full strength on offense. Barkley could be the difference maker powering a New York upset, given New Orleans’ significant troubles with stopping the run of late.
1H Under 19.5 (+100)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit(s)
This is a very interesting prop to consider due to the price and these teams’ reputations as slow starters offensively.
The Giants are averaging an NFL-low 5.4 points per first half, while the Saints are only slightly better in home first halves, checking in with 8.3 points. Even with New York’s first-half figure climbing to 8.8 on the road, we’re still sitting comfortably below 19.5 points when totaling the averages.
Neither offense is typically efficient enough to muster much more than a couple of successful scoring drives per half. The Giants average just 14.1 points per game while the Saints are at 21.9, so something along the lines of a 10-6 first half wouldn’t surprise.
Giants vs Saints Same-Game Parlay
Giants vs Saints SGP (+234)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit(s)
- Giants +6 (-110)
- 1H Under 19.5 (+100)
This bet simply combines two of our previous wagers, but it actually gets us an extra half-point to work with on the spread. Given my belief that the Giants will remain competitive in what could be a low-scoring game, these two bets complement each other.
The fact that Barkley is arguably the best all-around player on the field (or right up there with Alvin Kamara) also plays into my thinking here, as his skillset dovetails perfectly with New Orleans’ considerable issues with run defense of late.
