Our expert Giants vs. Cardinals predictions
The New York Giants head on the road for the first time this season as they take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
Everything that could go wrong, did for the G-Men, who lost 40-0 at MetLife Stadium to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
The Cardinals nearly pulled off an upset over the Washington Commanders but fell short 20-16 last Sunday.
Our prognosticators for Week 2 are: Art Stapleton (Giants/NFL writer, NorthJersey.com), Bert Bainbridge (sports betting analyst/columnist, NorthJersey.com), Steve Edelson (columnist, APP.com), Vince Mercogliano (Rangers/NHL columnist, lohud.com), Brian Marron (digital producer, NorthJersey.com), Chris Iseman (Rutgers writer, NorthJersey.com), Bob Jordan (sports editor, APP.com) and Dave Rivera (sports editor, USA Today Northeast/ NorthJersey.com)
Here are our staff picks for this Week 2 game between the Giants and Cardinals:
Art Stapleton
The Giants could have gone one of two ways: bury the tape from the 40-0 shellacking at the hands of the Cowboys, or embrace the embarrassment and use that as motivation to fix everything that went wrong, which was a lot. The Cardinals are certainly not the Cowboys, and the Giants are not as bad as they looked on opening night. If they are, Big Blue is in for a long season.
The pick: Giants 28, Cardinals 17.
Bert Bainbridge
It’s almost physically impossible to look as bad as the Giants did in Week 1. I believe the Cardinals will surprisingly keep it competitive throughout, but in the end, the G-Men cover the -4 spread and win their first game of the season out in the desert.
The pick: Giants 24, Cardinals 17
Vince Mercogliano
Some concerning flaws were exposed in the Week 1 disaster against Dallas, particularly along the offensive line, and I do wonder about the Giants viability as a contender in a difficult NFC East. Those questions will linger for the time being, but they should be able to quiet the critics for at least one week thanks to a cushiony matchup against one of the worst teams in the league.
The pick: Giants 23, Cardinals 13
Dave Rivera
I’m still in shock over what we saw Sunday night against the Cowboys. But you can be sure Brian Daboll will not have his team look like that again. Giants rebound on the road and get their first win of the season.
The pick: Giants 27, Cardinals 17
Bob Jordan
Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray won’t play until October at the earliest a blessing for the G-men.
The pick: Giants 17, Cardinals 3
Steve Edelson
It’s unlikely anyone’s lost 40-0 to a division foe and gone on to win the division. So the Giants’ quest for a wildcard likely begins with them favored by four points on the road at Arizona against the Kyler Murray-less Cardinals.
The pick: Giants 24, Cardinals 20
Brian Marron
The Giants clearly have a better roster than the rebuilding Cardinals, and this is a game Big Blue needs to have for a legitimate postseason push. Arizona did show last week that it will not lie down after a strong performance against Washington where the Cardinals forced three turnovers and were competitive deep into the fourth quarter. So long as Daniel Jones takes care of the ball, the Giants should be able to hold off their offensively-challenged opponent.
The pick: Giants 23, Cardinals 13
Chris Iseman
There’s literally nowhere to go up but up.
The pick: Giants 20, Cardinals 14