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Why Pundits Are Writing Off the First-Place Giants Against the Texans
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- Why Pundits Are Writing Off the First-Place Giants Against the Texans
The New York Giants are in first place in the NFC East and haven't lost in Houston since 2002. But pundits believe the Giants don't have a chance.
The Giants are a heavy underdog according to both od and writers. They will be about a 10.5-point underdog, and few are giving the Giants a chance to win against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
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The Giants are 0-1-1 in their past two games and are switching quarterbacks from Jameis Winston to J.J. McCarthy. The Texans have won two in a row, including an impressive 34-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in London.
The Giants Are a Heavy Underdog in Houston
ESPN FPI gives the Texans an 84.5% chance of winning, and all three of its writers predicted Houston to win. None of the three writers (Seth Walder, Pamela Maldonado and Eric Moody) projected the Giants to even score more than 17 points, and Walder's bold prediction involved McCarthy being under siege.
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"Texans edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter will combine for at least 3.5 sacks," Walder wrote. "McCarthy has a career 9.2% sack rate, well above the roughly 6% average for the position."
Over at NFL.com , all five pundits predicted the Texans to win, and two of them predicted Houston to cover the minues-10.5 spread.
"This week presents a tricky matchup for [McCarthy], who's been far too inaccurate and struggled with turnovers in his young career," Brooke Cersosimo of NFL.com wrote. "The run game is a concern, with the Giants shuffling through subpar backs and their one productive player failing too often to protect the ball.
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"The G-Men appear in survival mode, while the Texans have rounded into form over the last two weeks after posting 21 points per game and allowing 27.3 PPG in Weeks 1-4 (all losses)."
J.J. McCarthy's Running Can Help the Giants Stay in the Game
Cersosimo's diagnosis of the Giants offense is correct, but McCarthy, adds a unique element the offense hasn't had since Jaxson Dart sustained a season-ending knee injury.
But McCarthy's rushing will open up that facet of the Giants offense again. If he can use that athleticism to keep Anderson, Hunter and the aggressive Houston pass rush off balance, then the Giants can hang in and even potentially pull off the upset.
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On defense, the Giants' key matchup will be their pass defense against C.J. Stroud and his three-headed wide receiver monster of Nico Collins, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tank Dell.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
