NFL Odds: Patriots Are Betting Underdogs In Preseason Finale Vs. Giants

The New England Patriots will be looking to end a two-game preseason skid against the New York Giants when they travel to MetLife Stadium as 3-point betting underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for this week’s exhibition finale.

Thursday night’s Patriots vs. Giants betting matchup marks the 12th straight year the two teams played each other in their preseason finales, with New York dominating the series during that stretch by posting eight straight-up wins.

Winless in their past six preseason visits to New York, the Patriots haven’t fared much better against the spread in their annual summer matchup with the Giants, covering just once in their past seven, and averaging just 13.25 points per game in their past four, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

While the Patriots certainly would like to close out the preseason with a 4-0 record, emphasis remains on preparing to face Arizona in next week’s regular-season opener as early 5.5-point underdogs.

With quarterback Tom Brady suspended for the first four games of the regular season, Jimmy Garoppolo will take the reins of the Patriots offense. Garoppolo has seen plenty of preseason action, completing 36 of 54 passes, but has found the end zone just once and wrapped up his appearance in last week’s 19-17 win over Carolina with a meager 67.9 rating.

Despite the obvious needs for preparation and his average numbers during the preseason, the 24-year-old reportedly won’t play against the Giants.

The Patriots are expected to sit most of their regulars against the Giants and are eager to rest a number of players coming off recent injuries, including receiver Julian Edelman, tight end Rob Gronkowski, and offensive linemen Jonathan Cooper and Shaq Mason.

The Giants hit the gridiron Thursday looking to end their preseason with a second straight victory. New York struggled in its first two August outings, scoring just 10 total points in losses to Miami and Buffalo, but bounced back last week with a slim 21-20 victory over the New York Jets, picking up the ATS win in a contest pegged as a pick’em.

The Giants are coming off a dismal 2015 campaign in which they dropped six of their final seven to finish 6-10, surrendering just under 40 points per game in their final three contests.

But with so many question marks swirling around their NFC East rivals, the Giants have emerged as +175 favorites to win their division, and sport respectable +2200 odds in Super Bowl LI betting.

Thumbnail photo via Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports Images