Giants’ 2019 Win Total Set at Just 6.0

Heading into the 2019 season, there is plenty of disagreement about the New York Giants. 

Should Daniel Jones supplant Eli Manning from Week 1? Can the receiving corps make up for the loss of Odell Beckham Jr? Will James Bettcher need to buy a power washer in order to generate pressure on the QB?

One area where there is no disagreement, however, is among oddsmakers, who have universally pegged the G-Men’s 2019 win total at just 6.0 games according to the win totals tracker at sportsbettingdime.com.

This list of sites, consistently has them as an underdog to compete in the NFC East, let alone a Super Bowl. 

Only two teams in the NFL have lower win totals: 

• the Arizona Cardinals, who have a rookie head coach, a rookie QB, and will be missing their only All Pro (Patrick Peterson) for the first six games due to suspension; and
• the Miami Dolphins, who may be actively trying to lose.

The win totals for the other teams in the NFC East are:

• Eagles: 9.5 (or 10.0, depending on the sportsbook)
• Cowboys: 8.5 (or 9.0)
• Redskins: 6.5 (or 6.0)

Now for the good news. While the Giants finished 5-11 last year, they will have a relatively easy road to hoe in 2019. Looking at their schedule, the cumulative win totals of all of their opponents, combined, is only 124.5, which is sixth-lowest in the league. 

The benefit of finishing last in the division is playing a last-place slate. 

All the NFC East teams will play each of the NFC North teams (Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota) and AFC East teams (Buffalo, Miami, New England, NY Jets). Outside of those eight games and their six divisional games, the Giants square off with the Buccaneers (6.5 projected wins) and Cardinals. 

Last year, the Giants were effectively playing out the string as of mid-season. A grueling opening half of the season saw New York enter their Week 9 bye at a pitiful 1-7. 

Getting off to a better start is a must if this year’s Giants are going to improve on their 5-11 record from 2018. And lucky for them, the easier part of the schedule is up front. A tough Week 1 matchup in Big D is followed by three winnable games: vs Buffalo, at Tampa Bay, and vs Washington. 

After stiff tests against Minnesota (home) and New England (away), they get Arizona and Detroit in Weeks 7 and 8, respectively. 

If the team finds some early chemistry, there’s a decent chance they reach their Week 11 bye at 5-5 or maybe, just maybe, a game over .500.