The Denver Broncos and New York Giants face off on Sunday in a Week 1 NFL showdown at MetLife Stadium. These two teams last faced off in 2017 and it was the Giants that came away with the 23-10 victory.
The Denver Broncos had some struggles during the 2020 season finishing with a 5-11 record. Coach Vic Fangio appears to be on the hot seat and his job could be decided by how his quarterback does. The Broncos brought in Teddy Bridgewater this offseason and he won the job over Drew Lock. The Broncos also selected Javonte Williams with their 2nd round pick, and he is expected to be a difference-maker out of the backfield. On defense, Denver should be in the top part of the league led by Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, and Kyle Fuller.
On the other side of this matchup is the New York Giants who finished last year with a 6-10 record overall and this game could be a make-or-break year for Daniel Jones. During the 2020 season, Jones completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 2,943 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The Giants knew they needed to improve their team from last year, and brought in Adoree Jackson, Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph. Tight end Evan Engram is expected to miss this game with injury. Running back Saquon Barkley is expected to be healthy enough to go in this game, but there have to be some questions about his explosiveness. On defense last season the Giants gave up 22.3 points per game which is 9th best in football.
The Broncos are 2-6 against the spread in their last eight games as a favorite. The Giants are 0-4 against the spread in their last four games played in Week 1. The under is 8-2 in the Broncos last 10 games as a favorite. The under is 13-3 in the Giants last 16 games overall Denver is 4-1 against the spread in their last five meetings against New York.
The New York GIants offense really struggled during the preseason and even when the starters played a half, the team really struggled. The Broncos defense was good last season, and they will lock down the Giants offense. I expect Teddy Bridgewater to have a solid game, and the Broncos will cover the spread.