Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants, New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Sunday, November 28, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Giants -9.5
Current Line: Giants -7
Opening Total: 45.5
Current Total: 44.5
Money Line: Giants -330 / Jaguars +270
The New York Giants (6-4) looked to be the best team in the NFC three weeks ago following a 41-7 win at Seattle, but now they are simply looking to stay in the playoff race when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) on Sunday. The Giants (-7) suffered a painful 27-17 loss at Philadelphia last Sunday night, as they continued to turn the ball over and also saw star wide receiver Hakeem Nicks go down with a leg injury.
New York quarterback Eli Manning has been plagued by turnovers all season, throwing three more interceptions and adding another key fumble late in the game against the Eagles after his team had taken a brief 17-16 lead. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw also lost a fumble to bring his total to six on the season, prompting head coach Tom Coughlin to replace him in the starting lineup this week with Brandon Jacobs.
Fortunately for the Giants, they still have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They rank second overall in total yards allowed, giving up 282.4 per game, including 89.5 on the ground (ranking fourth). If it was not for a league-leading 30 turnovers, New York could very well own the best record. The team could have a difficult time scoring though without Nicks and Steve Smith.
Smith remains out with a torn pectoral muscle, so Manning will depend on Mario Manningham and Derek Hagan to be his top targets. The Giants added former first-round pick Michael Clayton and second-round pick Devin Thomas this week to give them some depth, but they should also find some success running the ball against the Jags.
Jacksonville ranks 27th in the NFL in total defense and scoring defense, surrendering 376.8 yards per game, including 112.2 rushing and 264.6 passing. The Jaguars are giving up 27 points per game as well, although they have allowed an average of 20.3 during their three-game winning streak. They have averaged 30 points per game in their last three but face a stiff test against the stout New York defense.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew totaled a career-high 220 yards from scrimmage in a 24-20 home win against Cleveland last week, and he has topped the century mark in rushing yards in each of the last three games. In addition, quarterback David Garrard has improved his play, averaging 285.3 passing yards during the winning streak after averaging 139.6 in his first six games.
The OVER has cashed in Jacksonville’s last four games and is 8-2 overall for the team this year. The OVER is also 4-1 in the last five games for the Giants, who have failed to cover three of the four all-time meetings with the Jaguars.
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