The New York Giants (5-10) will host the Dallas Cowboys (6-9) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday afternoon.
Opening the week, the Giants were listed as 2.5-point home underdogs, but that line has improved to Giants +1.5 at the time of this writing.
Let’s take a look at who some of the experts and insiders around the league are taking in the Week 17 matchup:
Expert | Pick | Score (if applicable) |
Laura Rutledge (ESPN) | Cowboys | N/A |
Matt Bowen (ESPN) | Cowboys | N/A |
Dan Graziano (ESPN) | Cowboys | N/A |
Pete Prisco (CBS) | Cowboys | 30-20 |
Jared Dubin (CBS) | Cowboys | N/A |
Ryan Wilson (CBS) | Giants | N/A |
Nate Davis (USA TODAY) | Cowboys | 27-23 |
Lorenzo Reyes (USA TODAY) | Cowboys | 25-20 |
Bill Bender (Sporting News) | Cowboys | 30-20 |
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) | Cowboys | 24-17 |
It’s not necessarily a surprise to see the Cowboys with the edge in expert picks entering Week 17, but it is somewhat strange to see them considered such heavy favorites by the NFL pundits.
Yes, the Giants have lost their last three against quality teams and didn’t look particularly good over that span. And yes, Dallas has won three straight over inferior teams and looked much better over that span. However, as we’ve noted previously, the Giants match up quite well against the Cowboys and had their highest offensive output of the season against them in Week 5.
Does any of that really mean anything, though? Not so much. This Sunday represents an essential playoff game between two divisional foes, so throw all statistics and logic out the window. Whoever wants it more and plays more disciplined football will win.
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