Thursday, September 1st will be the last chance to do some betting on NFL before the regular season starts the following week. Odds-on favorites to win Super Bowl 51 the New England Patriots will face the New York Giants in the last warm-up game prior to the official kick-off. Here are the NFL betting odds for that game:
Patriots +1½ (-105) 40½ (-110)
Giants -1½ (-115) 40½ (-110)
Tom Brady made his highly anticipated preseason debut in a week 3, 19-17 win over the Carolina Panthers. Brady took over from Jimmy Garoppolo toward the end of the first quarter and completed a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Aaron Dobson on his first play from scrimmage, which culminated in a field goal. Brady let loose a picture perfect over-the-shoulder pass to Chris Hogan down the right sideline for a 9-0 lead. Brady’s subsequent two drives did not produce points. Garoppolo returned in the second quarter, but as fans who enjoy betting on NFL might agree, Tom Brady is a tough act to follow. In defense, the Pats shut down the league’s top-scoring offense from last season, intercepted Derek Anderson, and allowed only one passing play longer than 15 yards in the first half.
The New York Giants won their first game of the preseason in week 3 when they defeated their friendly neighborhood Jets. Young Manning threw 10 of 15 for 65 yards and an interception in the third quarter as the Giants’ offense showed little in the way of, well, offense. As a matter of fact, the Giants didn’t make it past the 50-yard line until a penalty on Brandon Bostick placed them at the Jets 47 with 2:36 left on the clock in the 3rd quarter. Backup QB Ryan Nassib hit wide receiver Tavarres King for a 27-yard TD two plays later. In a positive note, WR Victor Cruz played with the Giants for the first time since 2014, when a knee injury limited him to six games. Furthermore, he missed the entirety of last season because of a calf injury. Cruz caught a pass for 4 yards.
The Pats and the Giants played each other twice last year; once in the preseason and once during regular season play. In the latter occasion, the Giants beat a Brady-less New England team 12-9. Then, on November 15th, the Patriots scraped by with a 54-yard field goal with 1 second left on the clock for a 27-26 win over the Giants. The Patriots finished 2015 first in the AFC East for the seventh straight season with a 12-4 record and won the divisional playoffs, but lost the AFC championship game to the Denver Broncos – who went on to win the Super Bowl 50.
Meanwhile, the Giants finished third in the NFC East with a 6-10 record and did not make the postseason. The Pats will not have Tom Brady at their disposal during the first four games of the regular season, but remain the favorite team of fans betting on NFL.
