The New York Giants (2-5) will take on the New York Jets (3-3) this Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in their eighth game of the 2023 regular season.
Opening the week, the Giants were 3-point home underdogs and that’s exactly where the spread remains as of this writing.
How does the Giants Wire staff see this Week 8 battle shaking out? Here’s a look at our picks and score predictions:
Dan Benton: Giants 16, Jets 13
This game is going to be a low-scoring defensive battle that’s ultimately decided by a mistake. If the Giants can avoid their weekly special teams miscues — and given all the changes this week, I think they can — it will come down to Zach Wilson and Tyrod Taylor. Which one flubs up in the big moment? My money is on Wilson.
John Fennelly: Jets 16, Giants 13
The over/under is a ridiculously low 36.6 total points. That is, until you look at these two offenses versus these two defenses. The Jets are 31st in the NFL in touchdown rate per possession (10.3%) while the Giants are last in the NFL in that category (9.1%). Both teams are a nightmare in the red zone, which will also lead to field goals instead of touchdowns. The punters will see a lot of action in this one, which will be an interesting, but painful, watch for viewers.
Tyler Henry: Jets 16, Giants 13
Last week, I predicted a Giants loss as I was in “until they prove me otherwise” mode with Big Blue.
Sure, the Giants won. However, I’m not sure a 14-7 win against the Washington Commanders moves the needle for me. Especially given the fact that the Giants were shutout in the second half and kept the Commanders in the game way longer than they should have.
The Giants have serious problems at punt returner and another muffed punt will surely cost them this week in a game I expect points to be extremely tight to come by.
Quite simply, this is a game between two dreadful offenses and two very strong defensive units. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a defensive touchdown from each team on Sunday.
I expect a tight, close game but it’s hard to see the Giants coming out on top in this one.
Kevin Hickey: Giants 17, Jets 14
The Giants defense has been heating up over the last two games, and they’ll catch fire against Zach Wilson. Though Breece Hall will likely have a strong game against a struggling run defense, Big Blue does enough to bend and not break. Meanwhile, Brian Daboll takes advantage of the weakness in the Jets defense against tight ends, featuring Darren Waller against a unit that has allowed a league-high five touchdowns to the position.
Jeevan Kirkland: Giants 16, Jets 13
In this MetLife battle with backup quarterbacks, the Giants will have a great opportunity to stack two wins together. While the Jets are clearly one of the best defenses in football and have competed with some of the best teams in the NFL (Eagles and Chiefs), they have also played down to their competition a couple of times this season. Big Blue is finally getting healthy on the offensive line and this should hopefully pave the way for a big day out of Saquon Barkley. On the defensive side of the ball, forcing Zach Wilson to throw will be the key to success as that is how Wink Martindale’s defense can create some turnovers.
Serena Burks: Giants 17, Jets 14
The Giants rekindled hope that their season isn’t lost with a win over the Commanders last week. There’s still plenty to work on, but they look much better in recent weeks. If they can build on the momentum they started last week, I expect them to do what it takes to win. It will be a highly defensive game, so Dexter Lawrence and crew need to show up, and I believe that they will.
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