Eli Manning is out and Daniel Jones is in for the New York Giants’ (+6000 to win the NFC East) starting quarterback gig. Jones will get his first start in a game during an NFL regular season this coming Sunday, as the Giants play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+4000 to win the NFC South) on the road. Will his debut in the regular season be a success? Or will the Bucs’ spoil the start of the new chapter in Giants history?
Is Daniel Jones, right now, an upgrade over Eli Manning? The Giants will start finding the answer to that soon, as they have now declared the rookie quarterback out of Duke as their Week 3 starter against the Buccaneers. With the Giants seemingly set for a new era in the franchise, their offense is likely going to come down to running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley is still the best player of the Giants, and they will go as far as where he takes them. In their 28-14 home loss in Week 2 to the Buffalo Bills, Barkley rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. With an unproven rookie under center, expect the Giants to give Barkley ample load to work with. This is not to say the passing attack is dead for the Giants. They have talented tight end Evan Engram who can make noise against Tampa Bay’s defense that let Greg Olsen have a throwback game in Week 2.
The Giants are 7-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last eight road games.
Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
At last, Jameis Winston finally broke his streak of winless road starts, when he led the Buccaneers to a 20-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Winston put up 208 passing yards and a touchdown on 16 of 25 completions, while Peyton Barber rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. But the real key for the Bucs in that game was their defense that was relentless and effective. We’re particularly talking about linebacker Shaquil Barrett, which was all over Panthers quarterback Cam Newton like sauce on spaghetti. Barrett sacked Newton three times and also hit him four times. Barrett must be salivating over the chance of bottling up a newbie quarterback in Jones, who could be in for a rough time in Tampa Bay. Winston needs more stability under center, and he could get more confidence against the Giants’ defense that allows 321.0 passing yards per game — 30th overall in the league.
The Bucs are 3-2 ATS in their last five home games.
