It was bad enough the New York Giants were up against a 16.5-point spread in the first place Sunday, making them the NFL’s largest home underdogs since 2020 and the largest in Giants history since 1966. That they couldn’t even bother to cover that outrageously large spread demonstrated how bad things truly are in East Rutherford.
Though it was the biggest spread of the season for any team, it wasn’t much of a surprise the Giants couldn’t keep up with the high-powered Baltimore Ravens. At BetMGM, 60% of money on the spread had a Baltimore cover. But if there was any question about who the worst team in the NFL is, New York’s 35-14 loss should go a long way towards an answer.
The New York Giants closed at 16.5-point underdogs, the largest in the NFL this season. It's also the largest underdogs they've been at home since 1966.
They lost 35-14 and failed to cover +16.5 pic.twitter.com/d4xLlHIPJA
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) December 15, 2024
How did it happen? One name: Lamar Jackson. Jackson went 21-of-25 passing for 290 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran for 65 yards. The Giants also lost quarterback Tommy DeVito to injury in the second quarter, though it’s not entirely clear whether replacing him with Tim Doyle hurt or helped them.
It had been 58 years since the Giants were last underdogs by as many points at home — +23 vs. Cowboys in 1966, per Action Network’s Evan Abram. The last team to close as home underdogs of at least 16.5 points was the 2020 Broncos. The loss dropped New York to 3-10-1 ATS on the season, including 1-8 in their last nine games.
