New York Giants and Denver Broncos will face each other in the NFL 2021 season Week 1 on Sunday afternoon. The hosts seek a better campaign and a chance to fight for a playoffs spot. The away side has a young roster, and they want to provide some surprises this season.
The Giants ended the previous campaign with a 6-10 record, and they didn’t secure a place in the playoffs. However, the NFC East is unpredictable, and they might enjoy a better campaign in 2021. Denver also failed to qualify for playoffs, as they finished at the AFC West basement. They will have a tough task to improve the record this season, but the visitors can certainly celebrate more than five times, which was the case last time.
New York Giants – Can they top NFC East?
New York Giants head to the first game of the regular season after losing all three preseason matchups. They lost to the Jets, the Browns, and the Patriots, but the margin didn’t exceed five points. The Giants have a well-packed roster, but they still have trouble at quarterback. Daniel Jones didn’t meet the expectations in the past two seasons, and he needs to step up in this one. However, New York signed an elite receiver Kenny Golladay, and with Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, and recovered Saquon Barkley, Jones could make the Giants’ offense more efficient.
The defense was a better part of the team last season, and the backline positively surprised me. Led by Leonard Williams, the Giants were solid in defense. Last time, the Giants were just one win away from the pole position in NFC East, and they might challenge for the top spot here. Ten victories will likely guarantee them a place in the playoffs and possibly the home advantage in the first knockout round.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Devontae Booker, Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, Elijhaa Penny, Matt Peart, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez, Nate Solder
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Dexter Lawrence, Austin Johnson, Leonard Williams, Lorenzo Carter, Tae Crowder, Blake Martinez, Oshane Ximines, James Bradberry, Jabrill Peppers, Logan Ryan, Darnay Holmes
Quarter Back: Daniel Jones
Kicker: Graham Gano
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Denver Broncos – Will they do better this season?
The Broncos are coming from a disappointing campaign in which they booked only five wins. However, they were perfect in the preseason, celebrating in all three weeks. It might be a glimmer of hope for the visitors to shine in the regular season as well. However, that is not very likely, as the Broncos still struggle to find a solution at quarterback. Denver hasn’t found a proper QB since they won the Lombardi trophy five years ago led by Peyton Manning. The away side will start the campaign with Teddy Bridgewater, but his position in the starting lineup is not so firm.
Justin Simmons will lead the defensive line, and one of the best safeties in the league signed a new four-year contract. Von Miller is back on the roster after an injury that kept him away from the field for a year. Miller was an MVP of the 50th Super Bowl edition when the Broncos beat Carolina five years ago. Denver has been without a place in the playoffs for too long, and the visitors need to significantly improve if they want to progress to the knockout stage.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Melvin Gordon III, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Noah Fant, Andrew Beck, Garett Bolles, Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Graham Glasgow, Bobby Massie
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell, Dre’Mont Jones, Jonathon Cooper, Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, Von Miller, Kyle Fuller, Kareem Jackson, Justin Simmons, Ronald Darby
Quarter Back: Teddy Bridgewater
Kicker: Brandon McManus
Expert Pick #1 – Denver Broncos -3 @-110
I expect a close matchup that can easily go either way. However, there are still many questions around the Giants, and I’ll wait a bit more before placing a bet on them. If the Broncos can be consistent at quarterback, they could have a solid campaign. I’ll take Denver to beat the spread as the first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 41.5 @-110
I see Under as an excellent choice for the first alternative bet. The Broncos went under eight times in their last ten games as favorites. On the other hand, the Giants remained under in their previous four home games. Give me the under as the second pick.
Expert Pick #3 – Broncos to win by 1-6 margin @+310
Backing Denver to win by up to six points is a solid choice for those who search for higher odds. It will be a close matchup, and I don’t expect to see an exciting offensive action. Therefore, I take the Broncos to win by a small margin as another alternative pick.
