The New York Giants seek an improbable 2-0 start when they travel to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. Can they get it? Here is how the Big Blue View staff is picking that game, and the rest of the Week 2 slate.
Chris Pflum
Can the Giants get off to an actual winning streak to start the 2026 season?
I think they can. I do think it’s possible for the Giants to go out to LA and come back with a 2-0 record.
I just don’t think it’s likely.
The way they won against the Cowboys is sustainable
and I think both the offense and defense can continue to improve as the players settle into the new schemes. The length and athleticism of the Giants’ defense makes them better equipped than most to counter Sean McVay’s 13-personnel passing attack. The offense has significant untapped potential as players like Darnell Mooney, Odell Beckham Jr., Theo Johnson, and the various running backs become more involved as pass catchers. That, in turn, will make the running game that much more effective.
But I don’t know that it’ll happen in time to survive a shootout with Matt Stafford.
I don’t necessarily buy that the Rams will be out for blood after being embarrassed by the 49ers, but this is a veteran and extremely well schemed offense. They came out flat in week 1, but this offense led the NFL in yards, points, and touchdowns last year. And despite being worse on 3rd downs than the Giants were last year, they still led the NFL in first downs.
The Rams also have a talented and veteran defense with an experienced defensive coordinator. The Rams’ linebackers may be vulnerable the Giants’ passes over the middle, but I’d be surprised if we saw the same level of confusion in the Rams’ back seven as we saw with Dallas.
(As an aside, I find myself shocked at the hubris from Giants’ fans with respect to Aaron Donald. He may have been out of football for two years, but he was still the best defensive tackle in the NFL when he retired, and he has two fewer years of wear and tear on his body than the similarly-aged Shelby Harris.)
Ultimately, I think this game is much closer than the 7.5-point spread and the Giants give the Rams all they can handle. But they don’t have quite enough to stun the NFL and hand LA an 0-2 start to the year.
Pick: Rams
Tony DelGenio
To me, the Rams are one of four NFC teams that could possibly reach the Super Bowl. After sleep-walking through their game in Melbourne and watching the Giants beat up the Cowboys, you can bet they’ll be ready. Some day Matthew Stafford’s NFL clock will hit 12 and he’ll no longer be great. Maybe the the 49ers game was the start of that, maybe not. Against the Giants’ still suspect secondary, and with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams catching passes, I wouldn’t bet on it. Maybe after two years away from the game, Aaron Donald won’t dominate the way he used to. Or maybe he’ll plead with Chris Shula to line him up in the left B-gap where Jon Runyan Jr. will have to deal with him and Andrew Thomas will have to help out. Be alert, Jaxson Dart.
That said, any team that played as well as the Giants did Sunday night has a chance. The Rams’ defensive line is less impressive against the run than the pass, and we saw what the Giants’ running game can do in Week 1. The Giants probably want to be run-heavy again and not test LA cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson too often. The Rams’ offensive line is no longer as formidable as it used to be, and perhaps this is a week where the pass rush can get home against a QB who is not especially mobile. Whether the Giants’ IDL can hold up against Kyren Williams and Blake Corum is a different question. I won’t be shocked if the Giants win this game…but I’m not picking them to do so.
Pick: Rams
Nick Falato
The Giants shocked the world with a home upset over the Dallas Cowboys. Conversely, the Rams were upset in Australia against the San Francisco 49ers. The Giants are currently seven-point dogs, and I expect them to cover the spread, but I expect the Rams to win. Sean McVay will run DUO out of 12/13 personnel, and I think it could wear the Giants down, especially when D.J.
Reader is not on the field. If the Rams are successful running the ball, the play action with Puka Nacau and Davante Adams will become a big issue for the Giants’ cornerbacks. I’m also concerned about Terrance Ferguson off 13 personnel play-action shots; this is, of course, if Kyren Williams and Blake Corum get going against the run. The upgrade at linebackers for the Giants should make them respectable against the run, but I expect the Rams to lean into it and ultimatley have success. The Giants are not the Giants of old, but I have the Rams here.
Pick: Rams by 6
James Hickey
A Giants weakness became a much bigger concern this week when three of the top four cornerbacks appeared on the injury report this week— which led the team to sign two cornerbacks this week.
This comes on a week the team faces arguably the best passing offense in the NFL — Matt Stafford at the helm, with Puka Nacua or Davante Adams as his two top weapons. If that sounds familiar to last week, well the X-factor is that Sean McVay was not on the other sideline.
The headline this week is the expected return of DT Aaron Donald to a defense that gave up the fourth-most rushing yards in the league in Week 1. The Rams allowed 174 yards on the ground and 379 total yards to the 49ers, surrendering 24 unanswered points over the final 35 minutes. On top of that, Myles Garrett, the reigning DPOY, for at least the next four games due to knee surgery.
The Rams are the Super Bowl favorites for a reason. In order to win, the Giants will need to do more in their passing game as they build on their physical running was their key to beating Dallas on Sunday night. While the issues in the secondary are a major red flag, John Harbaugh’s Big Blue Bullies find a way to win on Monday night with a late field goal by rookie Dominic Zvada sailing through the upright for the win.
Pick: Giants 27, Rams 24
David Hartman
Week 1 went just about as well as it could have for John Harbaugh’s Giants, and as terribly as it could have for Sean McVay’s Rams. Much has been made of L.A.’s travel decision for its Australia game, and the team should be rested, and primed for a bounce back in what’s suddenly a very important game for one of the top Super Bowl hopefuls.
The Rams are a 7.5-point favorite and I will gladly take the points. In fact, I think Big Blue is going to give them all they want. I don’t want to overreact to Week 1, and maybe the travel was a big factor, but Los Angeles looked old, and the Giants looked hungry, focused, and sharp.
Los Angeles has much better personnel on defense than Dallas, even without Myles Garrett. New York’s offense controlled the game (and the clock) on Sunday night and this will be a much sterner test. I think they’re ready for it.
I’m taking the upset. I don’t think the top-heavy Rams are as good as advertised, while the Giants might be a little better than people think. New York catches the Rams at the right time, and leaves them in panic mode as they stare down 0-2.
Pick: Giants by 4
Valentine’s View
The New York Giants got the attention of everyone around the NFL with their Week 1 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. There was nothing fluky about the victory, the Giants were the better team on Sunday night. They deserved to win.
The Giants took a huge leap in NFL power rankings, and there are now a lot of bandwagon-jumpers suddenly predicting that John Harbaugh’s team will make the playoffs this season.
Conversely, after an embarrassing Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, there are people wondering if they were too enamored with the still Super Bowl favorite Rams.
No one should forget that Week 1 of the NFL season is always rife with overreactions. The Rams are still a very good football team that will win a lot of games, almost certainly go to the playoffs, and perhaps reach the Super Bowl. The Giants, good vibes and all, are still a team with much to prove. Oh, and they are traveling across the country to face the in Week 2.
Do I believe that what we saw from the Giants in Week 1 is real? Yes. Do I think the Giants are capable of going to Los Angeles, playing well, and upsetting the Rams? Yes. What I can’t believe is that the Rams will fall to 0-2. The Rams will be at home, Aaron Donald will probably be playing, and they will have desperation on their side.
Pick: Rams
