New York Giants (1-7 SU, 3-5 ATS) vs. San Francisco 49ers (2-7 SU, 3-6 ATS)
Week 10 NFL
Date/Time:Monday Night Football, November 12, 2018 at 8:15PM EST
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
TV: ESPN
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: NYG +3/SF -3
Over/Under Total: 43.5
The New York Giants come out west to play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. OK, so maybe this wasn't what the powers-that-be had in mind when scheduling this game. The Giants haven't been able to rebound from the nightmares of last season, getting off to a demoralizing 1-7 record. They are coming off the bye-week, following a 20-13 home-loss to the Redskins in their fifth straight loss. They now take to the road to face a Niners team that hasn't seen things go appreciably better this season. Last week, however, they scored a rollicking 34-3 win over the Raiders and might have some more pep in their step.
While SF head coach Kyle Shanahan is being coy about it; it's hard to imagine Nick Mullens not starting this week at quarterback. The late-starter for a hurt CJ Beathard was sterling in navigating this offense to its finest performance of the season. It put a stop to a 6-game losing streak that had really started to take its toll. Now with Mullens able to thrive, albeit in just one game, one would assume he'd be back in there. And with a defense that has played pretty well, maybe we can see a repeat of last season, where they switched form on a dime, becoming a very-dangerous team in the second half of the season.
Mullens looked really good for Frisco, throwing three touchdowns on a very efficient day passing. One downside for the Niners is right after breaking through with a long TD run, running back Raheem Mostert was lost for the season with an injury. Matt Breida and Alfred Morris are still solid weapons in the backfield. Mullens was able to connect well with emerging star tight end George Kittle, in addition to receiver Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, and rookie Richie James, Jr. He connected well with a lot of different receivers and was really outstanding in his first NFL action as a rather uncelebrated second-year player out of Southern Miss.
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The 49ers' defense has a lot of horsepower, with some young talent manifesting. A lot of it is from high draft picks over the years, guys like Rueben Foster, Solomon Thomas, and others. Guys are getting healthy, with Richard Sherman getting back in there. Jaquiski Tartt is a difference-maker at safety. Against the Raiders, the pass-rush was immense with 7 sacks, with unheard-of Cassius Marsh getting 2.5 sacks and journeyman linebacker Dekoda Watson adding 1.5 sacks.
For the Giants, the problems are multifold and it's hard to imagine that they were considered to be a rising team prior to last season. Since then, almost nothing has gone right. New head coach Pat Shurmur has not gotten off to a fast start. It seems like there's a generally-pissy attitude in the locker-room and a general lack of overall brotherhood. On one hand, five of their 7 losses are one-score games, so they're not getting embarrassed left and right. Still, there's not a ton to be excited about at the halfway point for the Giants.
Generally, things wouldn't be so bad with a two-time Super Bowl champion at QB in Eli Manning, a rising young force at RB in Saquon Barkley, and one of the best in the business with WR Odell Beckham. But Manning is a waning force—to how much of an extent being still-debatable. But he often-times doesn't look that good. Barkley is going to be a handful, but they simply don't run the ball enough, playing from behind so often. Barkley has been able to find his niche as a useful ball-catcher and is even threatening to go 1000/1000 if he maintains this pace. Not helping, though, is a line that doesn't really thrive in any area, especially in keeping Manning safe, He's under siege more often than not. And they're pretty thin when you get away from their stars. Sterling Shepard is a nice weapon at receiver, but no one else is really able to make much of an impact. The run doesn't make a huge dent and the aerial attack in middling at best.
The Giants' defense, which had made so many strides in 2016, is stuck in the mud. They're solidly below-average across most pertinent areas. They absolutely cannot sustain a meaningful pass-rush, while opposing defenses are having a feeding frenzy on their offense. With guys like Janoris Jenkins and Landon Collins in the secondary, they're decent in that area. They haven't tapped into their playmaking ability much, but it's there. They haven't been effective against opponents' run-games and just generally struggle to have an impactful imprint on a game. Most of the time, they are more or less just there. What really hurts is when a critical moment arrives, they seem to evaporate.
There can be a scrappy element to these divisional games, particularly in this division. The Giants have been able to keep a lot of games close, despite a putrid overall record. Guys on the Giants, coaches and players alike, have gotten to a point where a lot of them are playing for their futures to varying extents. I wouldn't expect a phone-in type of performance. Still, it's a tough road-spot for a Giants' team that might be struggling to light that fire under them. I think San Fran gets the win and cover at home.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the San Francisco 49ers minus three points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 50% sign-up bonus!
