Giants vs Cardinals Odds Week 2
| Giants Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -115 | 40 -110o / -110u | -225 |
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -105 | 40 -110o / -110u | +185 |
We have a Giants vs. Cardinals pick and prediction for the late slate of NFL week. 2
Both the Giants and Cardinals are looking to rebound after disappointing Week 1 losses. The Giants were humiliated at home by the rival Cowboys, blanked in a 40-point drubbing on Sunday Night Football. As for the Cardinals, they put up a fight against the Commanders, which was more than most expected.
Let's break down Giants vs. Cardinals odds and make our Week 2 pick.
Giants vs. Cardinals
Matchup Analysis
We don’t need to do a deep dive into what went wrong in the Giants' home opener because it was fairly obvious to all spectators, and I have a feeling that the team didn’t focus on it themselves this week in practice. I suspect that Brian Daboll has told his players to discard that game from their memory banks and move on.
The Giants offensive line was awful, but they should fare much better here as the Cardinals front seven is completely incomparable to what the Cowboys are able to field. The Cardinals defense was 22nd in pressure in Week 1 and they were league average last year with JJ Watt and Zach Allen still on the roster.
This is not a talented defense and they are not going to blitz at a heavy rate under Jonathan Gannon’s defensive scheme. The Cards ranked 20th in blitz rate in Week 1 against the Commanders. This defense should be a breath of fresh air for a Giants offense that faced pressure on over 60% of dropbacks last week.
Expect the Giants offensive line to have more success in protection, but monitor the injury report as LT Andrew Thomas is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. Thomas was one of the best tackles in the NFL last season and is the anchor of this offensive line, so his absence could spell trouble.
Even if Thomas sits, I expect this offense to be able to stay on schedule and keep Daniel Jones out of 3rd-and-long.
Bet New York vs. Arizona at FanDuel
Defensively, I think the Giants could have some success against the Cardinals offensive line.
Outside of Will Hernandez, Arizona's line turned in an awful debut against the Commanders. Center Hjalte Froholdt graded 29th of 32 centers in Week 1 by Pro Football Focus, while tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and D.J. Humphries graded 56th and 60th out of 64 qualified tackles, respectively. Guard Elijah Wilkinson graded 62nd out of 64 qualified guards.
If there is a strength on this Giants team, it’s the front seven. Joshua Dobbs was the second-worst QB when facing pressure in Week 1, so pressuring him is New York's key to success.
One of the biggest weaknesses for the Giants in 2022 was their run defense — they ranked 30th in rush EPA, but this shouldn’t be a massive edge for the Cardinals as they ranked just 29th in rush EPA per play in Week 1.
I expect the Giants to force the Cardinals into many third downs, and this is where defensive coordinator Wink Martindale should be able to scheme up some of his elaborate blitz packages.
A concern for this Giants defense is their LB corps and their ability to defend the middle of the field against RBs and TEs. Dobbs targeted RBs and TEs on 18-of-32 (56%) pass attempts last week.
The Giants were 31st in DVOA against TEs in 2022 and 18th against RBs. They made an effort to minimize that weakness with the addition of LB Bobby Okereke, but he has historically been just an average coverage defender. This is an area that the Giants will have to shore up against the TE duo of Zach Ertz and Trey McBride.
Giants vs. Cardinals
Betting Picks & Predictions
This game is the Giants' season. After this, they face the 49ers, Dolphins and Bills on the road, plus the Seahawks at home.
If they lose, it is highly likely they begin their season 0-6 or 1-5. I never want to handicap on urgency or any sort of “must-win” narrative as the Giants could easily lose this game, but I will be backing the Giants at -3.5 given my faith in Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka.
Daboll will have his team prepared and there is something to be said for the preseason expectations of these two teams. The Cardinals will be a tough out all season, but there are no illusions of a playoff berth for their organization. They brought in Joshua Dobbs to be their QB1 less than a month ago and they made offseason moves that clearly signaled they were trying to be bad (tank).
The Giants made tons of offseason acquisitions — Darren Waller, Parris Campbell, Bobby Okereke and Isaiah Simmons — signaling they wanted to improve and win now. New York expects to win this year and I think that will lead to intensity and urgency on the football field.
Daniel Jones is a terrific 21-10 ATS (68%) off a loss in his career. That expected focus combined with the great coaching of Daboll and Kafka has me on the Giants at -3.5. I'd play this to -4.
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