- 1 Los Angeles Rams vs New York Giants: seven points in Australia, and a defensive signing already on the injured list
- 2 Los Angeles Rams: a flat start and a defence stripped down
- 3 New York Giants: the Harbaugh effect right from the opening Sunday
- 4 NFL Prediction Los Angeles Rams vs New York Giants
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Los Angeles Rams vs New York Giants: seven points in Australia, and a defensive signing already on the injured list 
Los Angeles Rams managed just seven points on opening weekend, beaten 27-7 by San Francisco at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Matthew Stafford never found the time he needed against the Niners’ pressure.
The week got worse after the return trip: the Rams have put Myles Garrett, their headline defensive addition this offseason, on injured reserve. Losing a player like that this early changes the whole defensive picture for the franchise.
New York comes in with the opposite story. The Giants beat Dallas 28-20 on Sunday night in John Harbaugh’s first game in charge.
The game closes out Week 2 at SoFi Stadium on Monday night at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Even so, bookmakers still make the Los Angeles Rams seven-point favorites, with the total set at 47.5. The Rams are as short as -375 on the moneyline, with the Giants at +300.
One model has Los Angeles winning 79.1% of the time, a figure that is hard to square with a 27-7 loss only seven days earlier. A few analysts are already pointing to the New York spread.
The gap between the market view and what we actually saw in Week 1 is the real story here. The Rams are still trading on reputation, while the Giants are still being judged as if last week never happened.
Monday Night Football brings Week 2 to a close with a matchup the market sees as lopsided. But the previous week told a different tale.
Los Angeles played its opener on the other side of the world, a setting most franchises never have to deal with. Coming home is a relief, sure, but it also comes with expectation.
New York arrives on the back of a statement win over a division rival. You can’t measure that kind of momentum, but it carries weight on a Monday night.
Los Angeles Rams: a flat start and a defence stripped down 
The Rams were brushed aside 27-7 by San Francisco in their season opener. Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes while Los Angeles was stuck on a single score.
The trip to Australia does not explain everything, because both teams made the same journey. The Niners’ front seven simply owned the Rams’ offensive line from start to finish.
Myles Garrett landing on injured reserve takes away the man meant to change the pass rush. The franchise had built part of its defensive plan around that arrival.
The pass-rush market was already unkind to the Rams this summer. Maxx Crosby had told interested teams, including Los Angeles, that he would only play for Las Vegas.
The return to SoFi Stadium at least gives them a fresh start, with familiar surroundings after a trip to the far side of the world. But the offence has to do better than seven points in Melbourne.
Getting a team riding a road upset is no easy reset button. The Rams are already under pressure in just their second game.
The uncertainty around Aaron Donald had also hung over the franchise before the flight to Melbourne. The former retired star had only said he felt good, never fully confirming he would suit up in the opener.
That sort of uncertainty makes it tough to build any sort of coherent defensive plan. Los Angeles heads into Week 2 without a settled front, and now without Myles Garrett.
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New York Giants: the Harbaugh effect right from the opening Sunday 
New York beat Dallas 28-20 in John Harbaugh’s first game as head coach. It was one of the loudest results of opening week.
The Giants were one of three teams whose new head coach won on debut, along with Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Only Robert Saleh, in Tennessee, missed out.
Beating a division rival on Sunday night gives a rebuilding locker room the sort of lift it can chase for months. New York got it in one go.
The depth chart has also been bolstered heading into the season, with Odell Beckham Jr. kept on the 53-man roster and defensive lineman Dean Lowry added to the practice squad. That points to a desire to deepen the rotation rather than lean on 11 starters and hope for the best.
The trip to California on a late kick-off is a standard test for an East Coast team. The Giants arrive with a mood that offsets plenty of that inconvenience.
Against a Rams side missing Garrett and coming off seven points scored, New York has a rare spot as a road underdog getting seven. The line looks generous based on what both teams showed in Week 1.
John Harbaugh has done what so many coaches fail to do: deliver an instant result against a historic rival. His first win in New York matters as much for the message it sends to the locker room as for the standings.
The Giants still have to back it up on the road, eight days after their trip to Dallas. SoFi Stadium and the late start make this a much tougher setting.
NFL Prediction Los Angeles Rams vs New York Giants
Our pick: New York Giants +6.5 handicap
Los Angeles scored seven points in a full game and has now lost Myles Garrett to injury before even getting home. A team in that state does not cover a seven-and-a-half-point spread without fixing something first.
The Giants are fresh off a 28-20 win in Dallas, with a locker room fired up by John Harbaugh’s first victory. The form shown on 13 September does not justify sending them on the road with that kind of cushion.
The line above six points offers the best value on the night. New York should keep this one tight all the way at SoFi Stadium.
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