With some of Eli's big receivers ruled out in Nix and Barden and Cleveland being one of the best at defending TE's in the league (ranked 3rd). I see Eli and the Giants deferring to the running game slowing this game down quite a bit. I'm not so sure they can do it successfully. Despite being able to run on Carolina they have struggled at home running the ball which is clearly not their strength. The Giants really don't have a home field advantage and this is the exact game they seem to always struggle in. Giants are 2-12 ATS in their last 14 home games vs. a team with a losing record. Since opening Metlife Stadium they are 0-6 ATS against teams where they are home favorites of more than a TD. Recent ones come to mind, Buccaneers this year, Seahawks, Dolphins last year. I know the Browns are 0-4 but
They have an extra couple of days to prepare and they should be able to run the ball on the Giants defense that is 26th allowing 4.5 yards per carry. Cleveland is also 12th in sack % allowed which should allow Brandon Weeden more time than most QB's against the Giants front 4 and that could be dangerous because the Giants secondary is still beat up. We saw Breeden throw for 320 yards against the Ravens defense as he had time, but really most importantly is Trent Richardson who is starting to look like the most complete running back in the game. I'll go with Cleveland's overall defense and their offensive line. The Giants will be just going through the motions as they have the 49ers on deck where Cleveland will go for a win to shock the NFL.
