The New York Giants will host the visiting Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the 2024-25 NFL season for an all-NFC battle. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST on September 8th at MetLife Stadium and the game will be televised exclusively on the FOX Network in the United States. In Canada, the game will also be available on DAZN.
Oddsmakers opened this game up with the Giants listed as one-point home underdogs. The spread has widened slightly after early betting, as Minnesota is currently priced at -1.5 on most sportsbooks. The total for this matchup is 41.5 points. Click here for a full look at the Week 1 NFL odds and for more links to our individual game previews.
New York Giants Begin Life Without Barkley
There sure isn’t a whole lot to celebrate for the lowly Giants as they begin their centennial season. After stumbling to the finish line with a 6-11 record in 2023-24, there seems to be more questions than answers on both sides of the ball. On offense, QB Daniel Jones has yet to really prove that he is the man to turn things around after an injury-riddled regular season in 2023. Jones threw for less than 1,000 yards and recorded just two passing touchdowns all year long, while New York as a team averaged only 169.8 yards per game through the air – second worst in the entire league.
The Giants also will be forced to deal with the departure of franchise running back Saquan Barkley, who signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles during the offseason. Barkley, who struggled to stay healthy the past several years, was the cornerstone of an already below average offense that will definitely miss his dual threat abilities out of the backfield. Newcomer Devin Singletary will attempt to shoulder some of the load on the ground, and he should have plenty of opportunities with no real competition for the starting role.
One of the most interesting storylines on offense for New York is rookie receiving sensation Malik Nabers, who will be thrust into the spotlight right away after being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After breaking the all-time LSU school record for both receptions and receiving yards, expectations are sky high in the Big Apple.
On the other side of the ball, the Giants defense was also below average in 2023-24, surrendering an average of 361.7 total yards and 23.9 points per game to opposing offenses. Trading for ex-Carolina Panthers star linebacker Brian Burns should help shore up the New York defense right away, especially with Dexter Lawrence returning at nose tackle to complement a rapidly maturing secondary with one more year of experience under their belt.
Minnesota Vikings In Search of New Offensive Identity
It was a whirlwind offseason for the Vikings, as veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins departed for Atlanta after six seasons. Despite averaging 3,900 yards and 28.5 touchdowns per year, Cousins never could quite manage to get Minnesota to the promised land in the postseason. His vacated role appears to have been handed to Sam Darnold, at least temporarily. Darnold looked like he would eventually settle in behind first round draft pick J.J. McCarthy at some point during the 2024-25 season, but the aforementioned McCarthy tore his ACL in early August against the Raiders and will be out all year.
Minnesota made a big splash in order to bolster their ground attack during the summer, stealing Aaron Jones away from the Packers and signing him to a one year deal worth $7 million. Jones should help the Vikings out of the backfield right away after several clutch performances in the playoffs for Green Bay.
Defensively, Minnesota showed a ton of improvement after really struggling in 2022-23, moving all the way up from being the 31st ranked defense to start the year to finishing in the middle of the pack at 16th overall by the end of the regular season. However, they will certainly miss Pro Bowl DE Danielle Hunter, who left for Houston in March after racking up 83 total tackles and 16.5 sacks.
Our NFL Betting Predictions and Pick: UNDER 41.5
It is really tough to get all that excited about this particular matchup, as both offenses could struggle to move the ball with any real consistency on Sunday afternoon. Both Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold have a lot to prove this year, but neither quarterback has shown a lot to get excited about as of yet. While Jones has a shiny new toy at wideout in Malik Nabers, the Vikings defense should give him fits, especially up the middle. The absence of Barkley as a safety valve out of the backfield will also be tough for New York to deal with.
WR Justin Jefferson is always an extremely dangerous threat whenever he touches the field, but building chemistry with Sam Darnold will likely take some time. The Giants defense added some key pieces during the offseason, so getting pressure on Darnold early and often should help Brian Daboll’s squad cough up some key turnovers.
This really looks like a spot where staying away from both teams against the spread is a sharp play, as the line is basically a pick’em. It wouldn’t be surprising to see either team come away with a late victory as time expires in the fourth quarter, so I much prefer a bet on the total in this matchup.
Not only has the total gone under in the Giants last ten consecutive home openers, it has also gone under in each of the last six games where Minnesota was favored to win the game outright. Throw in the fact that four out of the last five meetings between these two NFC rivals went under the total as well, and it seems clear that the one bet with decent value in this game is taking the UNDER on 41.5!
