Giants Country

Giants Open as Underdogs to Jacksonville Jaguars

Yes, you read that correctly. The odds makers list the 5-1 Giants as underdogs ahead of their Week 7 road game against the 2-3 Jaguars.

Patricia Traina

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The early odds are out this week ahead of Week 7's games, and--wait for it--the New York Giants, 5-1 on the season and fresh off back-to-back upsets, open as a 3.5-point underdog to the 2-4 Jacksonville Jaguars.

That's right, the Giants are an underdog. And while there is no explanation as to why that is, perhaps there are a couple of reasons behind the odds makers favoring the Jaguars, starting with the fact that Jacksonville, who has lost their last three games, is the home team. They have a 1-1 record at TIAA Bank Field.

Or maybe the oddsmakers feel confident that Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, who, from his days as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, went 8-2 against the Giants, can somehow pull off another win against Big Blue.

Whatever the reason, it's a curious decision. The Jaguars are 0-2 against NFC teams this year, losing to the Commanders 28-22 and then the Eagles 29-21. Both games were close, so perhaps the Jaguars' ability to keep things close, combined with the aforementioned elements, is the reason for the early-week optimism.

For what it's worth, the Giants tied an NFL record in the Super Bowl era when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. New York has won four games despite being the underdog, the others being against the Titans in Week 1, the Panthers in Week 2, and the Packers in Week 5.

But that's not good enough for the oddsmakers to give the Giants the benefit of the doubt, though we'll see if Vegas has a change of heart as the week goes on.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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