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    New York Giants Open as 10.5-point Underdog vs. San Francisco

    No surprise here, as the Giants were unlikely to be favored regardless.

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    New York Giants
    New York Giants

    The New York Giants might be riding high following their 31-28 come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals, but they won't have much time to bask in the glory with the San Francisco 49ers on deck this Thursday night.

    But don't count the Vegas oddsmakers among those who might be impressed by the Giants' resiliency in the desert. The Giants are listed as a 10.5-point underdog, according to Fan Duel.

    That point spread, currently the third largest in the NFL for Week 3, comes as no surprise and not just because the 49ers made it to the NFC conference title last year, whereas the Giants didn't make it past the Wild Card round.

    The Giants have some concerning injuries coming off the short work week to key players like left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), running back Saquon Barkley (ankle), and linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring).

    Besides who may or may not miss the game on Thursday for the Giants, one of many matchups that could end up playing a big factor in this game is the running game. The 49ers currently have the third-best rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 173.5 yards per game on the ground and 5.6 yards per carry.

    The Giants run defense, meanwhile, has had its share of struggles against the run, averaging 136.5 yards (26th) against the run and allowing 4.63 yards per carry (24th).

    The 49ers, of course, have all-world running back Christian McCaffrey, who currently leads the NFL with 268 rushing yards. Stopping him alone will be enough of a challenge for a run defense that allowed Cardinals running back James Conner to rush for 106 yards on 23 carries.

    But anything is possible, which is why teams line up to play the game, even though the odds are heavily stacked against the Giants in this one.
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