The New York Giants (5-10) will take on the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) this Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in their 16th game of the 2023 regular season.
Opening the week, the Giants were 6.5-point home underdogs and the spread has bounced all over since then. As of this writing, Big Blue is +5.5.
How does the Giants Wire staff see this Week 17 battle shaking out? Here’s a look at our picks and score predictions:
Dan Benton: Rams 33, Giants 13
I fully anticipate a blowout in this one. The Giants are weak in many areas that the Rams are strong, creating potentially ugly mismatches (see: Aaron Donald vs. Giants’ interior O-line). New York won’t be able to play from behind and can’t keep up with the Rams’ firepower, so this could be over in the blink of an eye.
John Fennelly: Rams 31, Giants 17
Don’t be fooled by the sudden (betting) attention to winning by the Giants. They are still a team that blocks poorly, misses tackles and has not communicated well all season. The Rams are hot, winners of five of their last six, the only loss coming in overtime on the road in Baltimore.
Tyler Henry: Rams 31, Giants 19
I think the move to start Tyrod Taylor certainly gives the Giants a better chance in this one. The score should reflect that and be tighter throughout the game.
However, the Rams are making a second-half surge for the playoffs after a slow start and are currently one of the hottest teams in the NFL winning five of their last six.
The offensive line will likely struggle as they have all season long and with multiple O-linemen nursing injuries, it could be an even longer day for that unit. Not to mention, they are trying to slow down that Aaron Donald guy and he’s pretty darn good.
It could be a rough day for the secondary who will be matched up against a strong WR duo for the Rams. Hopefully, the Giants show some fight but I find it hard to believe they will come out on top in this one.
Kevin Hickey: Rams 27, Giants 20
Even though the Giants showed some life by giving the Eagles a scare last week, they fell short once again. Already eliminated from the playoffs, Big Blue is just looking to play spoiler. Meanwhile, the Rams are right in the thick of the NFC playoff race, riding an offense led by Matthew Stafford, who has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of the last five games.
Brian Daboll still has this team fighting, which is impressive considering everything that’s gone wrong this season, but they simply won’t have enough to get the job done.
Jeevan Kirkland: Rams 33, Giants 17
The Rams’ offense has been electric since Kyren Williams has come back. They have put up 28-plus points in five straight games and are 4-1 in that span. The core of Williams, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp with Stafford at the reigns will simply be too much for New York to handle.
The Rams’ defense is far from elite so the Giants should be able to put up a few points but likely not enough to keep this one close. Los Angeles is fighting for one of the last playoff spots and this is a must-win to keep their hopes alive. Sean McVay will have his team ready to win and win big.
Serena Burks: Rams 28, Giants 15
The Giants season ends next week when they face the Eagles, there will be no postseason this year. Despite that, they looked slightly better last week behind Tyrod Taylor, but couldn’t get the win. The Rams have a decent defense and the Giants have the worst offensive line, which is why they’ve gone through three quarterbacks. All this to say that it’s unlikely the Giants win either of their last two games. Taylor will do his best, but without pass protection and without Barkley getting some actual blocks, the offense is dead in the water against the likes of Aaron Donald.
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