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New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams: Preview, Predictions, Odds

By Kenneth Teape

Oct 21, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams helmets and the River Thames and Tower Bridge prior to game 16 of the NFL International Series. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams helmets and the River Thames and Tower Bridge prior to game 16 of the NFL International Series. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams

The New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams will be heading across the pond in Week 7. They will face off at Twickenham Stadium, as the Giants head to London after defeating the Baltimore Ravens last week, while the Rams fell to the Detroit Lions.

Both teams come into the game with a record of 3-3, so this is an important one. Both the Giants and Rams look like they will figure into the NFC Playoff picture, so picking up victories against conference opponents is important. The winner of this game will have a leg up in that race and get back above the .500 mark.

It has been a whirlwind week for the Giants, as kicker Josh Brown‘s domestic violence case was re-opened. New documents became available earlier this week, so the NFL will re-open their investigation. The Giants aren’t going to abandon Brown, but he won’t be joining the team in London. He will be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for the time being.

In his place, the Giants will have long-time Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould taking over. Gould was waiting for the perfect opportunity after the Bears let him go prior to the season, and he believes that is with the Giants.

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Gould will be one of the keys to the game to watch Sunday.

Keys To The Game

Can the Giants protect Eli Manning? They did an outstanding job of that against the Ravens. Manning was hit only twice and sacked once, all by Terrell Suggs. It resulted in a monster performance, as he was able to find Odell Beckham Jr. continuously.

The Giants offensive line caught a break last week, as Elvis Dumervil was sidelined and Suggs suffered an injury as well. They will have a tall task against the Rams defensive line with the unstoppable Aaron Donald leading the way.

On the flipside, the Giants high priced defense needs to start finishing plays. They are creating pressure, but not finishing with sacks. They are not forcing turnovers either, as only former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins has interceptions this season.

The Giants defense putting pressure on Case Keenum will be important, but the key to slowing down the Rams is stopping Todd Gurley. Gurley has been unable to consistently get going this season, as the offensive line has struggled and he has been getting hit behind the line of scrimmage.

The Giants do not want to see him get going, as it will be a long day for the defense if that happens.

Odds

Spread: Giants -3

Moneyline: Giants -150

Over/Under: 44 points

Next: New York Giants Storylines vs. Los Angeles Rams Week 7

Prediction

The games in London have produced mixed results. The playing surface is different and adjusting to the time and schedule change is not easy. Both teams have experience doing it, as the Giants played there in 2007 and the Rams have played there 2012.

The Giants won their game in London over the Miami Dolphins, while the Rams got blown out by the New England Patriots. It won’t be a blowout this time, but the Giants will find a way to win as the offense looks like it is getting on track.

Score: Giants: 20, Rams: 17

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