New York Giants vs Pittsburgh Steelers Point Spread Picks

New York is starting over again and that can't be bad after the Giants suffered through a 4-12 season in 2019. One holdover is quarterback Daniel Jones, who completed almost 62-percent of his passes last season for 3,027 yards and 24 touchdowns. However, Jones must improve on his ball protection as he threw 12 interceptions and lost 11 fumbles. Nevertheless, it does give new coach Joe Judge and the Giants something to build on. Another big plus is the new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett who, of course, coached the Cowboys for nine and-a-half years. Another holdover is running back Saquon Barkley, who missed three games last year and still gained 1,003 yards with six touchdowns. And the defense has nowhere to go but up after the last two seasons, but there is a lot of potential and young talent on the defensive side. Bruised and battered Ben Roethlisberger is back again for Pittsburgh after missing all but two games in 2019. Roethlisberger is 38 years old and it's questionable how long he can perform even close to his previous level. The Steelers are 4-9-1 ATS their last 14 games as favorites, including 2-5-1 ATS on the road. They are also 2-7 ATS in Week 1. Take the points with the New York Giants.

Pittsburgh lost only one starter from a defense that was #10 in points allowed and #12 in yards allowed and the secondary, which showed much improvement last year, and should be even better this season. The defensive line also will be a strength with Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargrave, and Stephon Tuitt returning. The Steelers stayed UNDER their last three preseason games in 2016, and coach Mike Tomlin is 26-16 UNDER in his preseason career. New York is trying to come up with a solution to a bad offense, and Eli Manning is not getting any better. Manning was worse than the season before in nearly all offensive categories, and the offensive line remains a huge question mark. The Giants did improve defensively and finished #2 in the league in points allowed with 17.8 per game thanks to an improved secondary and strong defensive line. Landry Jones will back up Ben Roethlisberger, and he appeared in eight games in 2016 and was 53 of 86 with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Rookie quarterback Josh Dobbs has looked good in training camp, and undrafted Bart Houston has no NFL experience. Geno Smith played four seasons with the Jets, but only two games last season when he was eight of 14 with a touchdown and an interception. Davis Webb could be the successor to Eli Manning down the road, but the Giants are taking it slow with him. Josh Johnson has played for nine teams and hasn't seen action since 2013. Ben McAdoo lost his first two preseason games last year while his team scored a total of 10 points, including a 27-10 loss to Miami in preseason Week 1. Take the Steelers and the UNDER.

This is the second game for the Giants, and the opener for Pittsburgh. The Steelers look real good with a deep defense that has a lot of youth and talent, plus a balanced offense. The O-line really gelled in the second half of the season in 2013, and for this year the QB rotation is Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, and Landry Jones, two experienced players. The defense was #9 against the pass, #21 against the run, and has tremendous depth. First-round pick linebacker Ryan Shazier teams with Lawrence Timmons as one of the NFL's most dynamic linebacker tandems. The Steelers like second-round defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who might have been a top 10 draft pick if not for a hernia injury last season. The Steelers have been a great team in preseason under Mike Tomlin at 19-10 SU and 17-12 ATS. The Giants offense didn't look that impressive in the Hall of Fame game in a 17-13 win, getting 308 total yards (73 on a late TD). The backups after QB Eli Manning aren't impressive with Curtis Painter and Ryan Nassib. They had an NFL worst 44 turnovers last year, so the offensive line has new changes which will take time to work. And they face a talented Steelers defensive front here. Last year's preseason opener was a close one between these teams at 18-13. And for 2014 the Giants, defense has already lost new LB Jon Beason (summer injury) and Cornerback Jayron Hosley has been suspended for the first four games, so the coaching staff will be evaluating their depth right away. Back the Steelers.