NY Giants Open as Week 5 Underdogs vs. New Orleans Saints

Despite their first win of the 2025 season and the positive debut of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart in his first NFL regular-season start under center, the New York Giants are still jumping into Week 5 as a slim road underdog in the minds of the oddsmakers.

According to FanDuel's opening odds for the start of the second quarter of the year, the Giants are going back on the road to visit the winless New Orleans Saints on Sunday. They are being granted a 1.5-point underdog status heading into the matchup with some winning momentum.

In addition, the oddsmakers are listing the over/under points total at 41.5 points for the Giants' latest contest, with both numbers being the friendliest and lowest totals that New York has received in the first four weeks of the season, during which they have faced undeniably tougher competition.

That includes this past Sunday at home against the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers in Dart's first nod to the helm from head coach Brian Daboll, where the first-year gunslinger tallied 165 scrimmage yards and two total touchdowns to help the Giants erase the goose egg in the left column of their record against one of the best rosters in the league.

Nevertheless, it doesn't appear as if the upset victory will sway the opinions of the betting market. The Giants opened as slim favorites in the hours after their 21-18 win, but since then, the line has shifted back in favor of the Saints, who are still seeking to do what their next opponent did to stop their slide.

It's very likely that the mood switch from the oddsmakers is being driven by the huge loss of wide receiver Malik Nabers, as the Giants' top offensive weapon went down during the Chargers game with a season-ending ACL injury.

Without Nabers on the perimeter, the Giants' passing offense isn't the same on paper. On the stat sheet, they're going to need to find the necessary production from the rest of their established guys in the rotation, such as Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Theo Johnson, who all hold under 237 yards and two combined touchdowns this season.

The Giants also had to hold their breath a couple of times with Dart, who dealt with his own ailments that he was able to shake off, allowing him to remain in the game until the final whistle. He was seen hobbling at one point due to some soreness in his right hamstring, and left the game in the second half for a few plays to be examined in the NFL's concussion protocol.

Perhaps, the oddsmakers are a little concerned about Dart's ability to stay healthy for the entire game with the Saints, and the downturn that Russell Wilson has taken should he have to enter the contest to replace Dart at any point.

Even with all these factors, it's a little strange not to believe that the Giants could feasibly steal a second consecutive win against a Saints team that is simply sputtering into the basement and one of the three remaining organizations without a victory to their name.

The Saints' overall talent on the roster isn't significantly better, if at all, than what the Giants are boasting, and the youth movement is taking over at critical positions, such as their own quarterback spot, with Spencer Rattler taking control of the starting job in camp.

In the first four weeks, the Saints' offense sits slightly below the Giants, ranking 27th in points scored and 22nd in yards accumulated, but they're having a hard time impressing anybody through their work in the air or on the ground. They struggle to convert on late downs and in the red zone with just a 30.2% scoring rate in that same span.

Defensively, the Saints have been extremely generous in giving up points to their opponents. New Orleans stands 30th in the NFL in opponent points allowed and has surrendered at least 26 points in three of their four games.

The Giants haven't proven they can be a consistent scoring threat just yet, but this could set up to be the second time in their slate that they have a very favorable matchup to compile some strong offensive production, albeit without Nabers available to lead the charge with his talents.

It'll be a meeting of two organizations that have their sights set more on the future than the immediate present. That said, how sweet it would be for a hungry Giants franchise and their fanbase to taste victory on back-to-back weeks and create some extra momentum heading into another small gauntlet of opponents in the weeks ahead.

Sunday's meeting will mark the 34th all-time matchup between the two franchises, with the visiting Giants hanging onto a 17-16 advantage in the series record. The Giants have lost three of the last five games, though, including their most recent contest in Week 15 last season when the Saints snuck out a 14-11 win in a snoozer at MetLife Stadium. 

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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