Michael Penix Jr. makes his NFL debut for the Falcons (7-7) Sunday against the New York Giants (2-12) with Atlanta’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
It’s the holiday season so we will be kind when we say Kirk Cousins has been ineffective the past couple of months. Having thrown an NFL-high 16 INTs and just 1 TD in his last 5 games, Cousins forced Raheem Morris to make a change under center. However, is Penix ready to lead the Falcons in their push for the playoffs? He has taken just 21 snaps this season.
Enter the New York Giants. They have been dreadful this season. The only Giants’ season to have gone worse was in 1966 when they went 1-12-1. Drew Lock (heel) returns under center for New York. He will be leading an offense that is averaging just 14.9 points per game and a mere 22 TDs in total for the season.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details and how to watch Giants at Falcons
· Date: December 22, 2024
· Time: 1 PM ET
· Site: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
· City: Atlanta, GA
· TV/Streaming: FOX
Latest Game Odds for Giants at Falcons
The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings:
· Moneyline: New York Giants (+340), Atlanta Falcons (-440)
· Spread: Falcons -8.5
· Total: 43
This game opened with the Falcons laying 10 but with the rookie Penix making his first start the sharps have forced the books to drop the number a full point and a half. The Total has not wavered from 43.
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
Expert picks & predictions for Giants at Falcons
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, betting trends, and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Sunday’s game between New York and Atlanta:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
- Spread: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play ATS on the Giants.
- Total: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Total OVER 43.
Giants at Falcons Stats, Betting Trends
· The Giants are 4-10 against the spread this season.
· The Giants are 5-9 to the OVER this season.
· The Falcons are 5-9 against the spread this season.
· The Falcons are 5-9 to the OVER this season.
· The Giants have failed to cover in 5 of their last 7 games as a road underdog.
· The Giants have lost 8 straight games on the moneyline as an underdog.
Quarterback Matchup for Giants at Falcons
· New York: Drew Lock – the veteran was is a boot last week with a heel injury but he is back under center for the Giants. His last start was December 8 against the Saints in which he completed 21 of 49 passes for 227 yards with 1 INT.
· Atlanta: Michael Penix, Jr. – the rookie out of Washington and 2023 Heisman runner-up is making his 1st NFL start. He has taken a total of 21 snaps in an NFL game to date.
Giants at Falcons Injury Report
- New York QB Tommy DeVito (concussion) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- New York OL Aaron Stinnie (concussion) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- New York LB Bobby Okereke (back) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- New York LB Brian Burns (ankle) is probable for Sunday’s game.
- New York LB Patrick Johnson (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- Atlanta DL Demone Harris (illness) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- Atlanta WR Casey Washington (concussion) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- Atlanta TE Charlie Woerner (quad) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- Atlanta TE Ross Dwelley (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
- Atlanta OT Kaleb McGary (elbow) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
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