New York Giants Open Week 13 as Underdogs vs. Dallas

After the New York Giants’ disastrous loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their return from the bye week, one might wonder how seriously the oddsmakers will downgrade the franchise in the remaining six games of their 2024 schedule.

It wouldn’t be crazy to expect bigger odds against them until the bitter end. But they could avoid that for another week, as an equally miserable match looms in Week 13.

According to FanDuel’s opening odds for the NFL’s next slate, the Giants (2-9) will move quickly and travel to Arlington, where they will play a major role. 3.5-point underdogs to the Dallas Cowboys (4-7) on Thanksgiving Day.

Vegas’ pick gives the Giants a slightly friendlier opportunity than the previous game against the Cowboys, when they were 4.5 underdogs in what became a 20-15 Week 4 loss on Thursday night.

It’s also quite surprising considering the Giants are taking a 30-7 drubbing at home from the Buccaneers and haven’t had a lead in six full games dating back to Seattle in Week 5.

However, they once again meet a Dallas team whose season has also been derailed. The Cowboys’ roster has been marred by relentless injuries to key players on both sides, most notably quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8 and will be out for the remainder of the season.

In the wake of his illness, the Cowboys have lost two of three games and have fallen to 4-7 on the year, but their woes started long before the loss of their starting sharpshooter. They lost five of their first eight games with one of the worst rushing games in the league and a bottom-tier defensive group in both phases.

The matchup will feature a battle between two backup quarterbacks: Tommy DeVito for the Giants and Cooper Rush for the Cowboys. The latter, a seventh-year veteran, played at least seven games for the Cowboys over the past three seasons, including nine in 2022 when Prescott suffered a season-ending injury that collapsed that season.

Behind Rush, who has 91 completions for 813 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, Dallas ranks in the bottom third of the NFL in overall production metrics and boasts a modest passing attack built largely on the shoulders of Precott’s contributions .

Outside of relying on their receiving arsenal, the Cowboys are terrible on the ground ranking of 30th or worse in every major rush category. They rank last with only rushing touchdowns on the season and 31st with an average carry of 3.7 yards.

The Cowboys defense has also had trouble stopping just about anything thrown their way. It was a tough campaign following the loss of former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who took the head coaching job in Washington.

They rank among the bottom five teams in opponent production and rushing activity, including 32nd with 19 rushing touchdowns allowed.

Despite being in the premium 4:30 window on Thanksgiving, the game could be a snoozer between two franchises headed in the wrong direction. The Giants have a tougher immediate future, with their product collapsing to almost nothing on game days.

It will be another tough task for DeVito, albeit a memorable one, if he can pull off a win against a rival that has owned 14 of the last 15 matchups and seen straight homestands.

Neither team has won at home this season, but the Giants have lost six of their nine games by five points or more.

The only concern for bettors looking to take action on their division spot is that the Giants tend to play better on the road, getting their only two wins in Cleveland and Seattle and losing the rest by eight points or less .

The total over/under for the game is 38.5, which likely explains the less-than-average offensive schemes shown by both teams. That number has come in just three cases in New York this season, but has been comfortably amassed in nine of Dallas’ games.

The odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.

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