New York Daily News

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS

- WITH HANK GOLA

LIONS at GIANTS Monday, 8:30 p.m., Giants by 3½, 43½ HANK’S HONEYS: Impossible to pick this one without knowing Odell Beckham’s status. The Giants’ inability to stretch the field without him leaves Eli Manning looking for dumpoffs, especially since they can’t run the ball. Moneybags Matt Stafford torched the Cardinals last week but Arizona sat back against him. The Giants won’t. There’s also the factor of the Lions’ record outdoors. Under head coach Jim Caldwell, the Lions are 5-13, including five straight defeats. If Beckham plays, and it’s not likely, Giants probably win but the points look like the safer bet right now. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Lions and the under.

JETS at RAIDERS 4:05 p.m., Raiders by 13½, 43½

HANK’S HONEYS: It’s going to be the same story every week with the Jets, trying to figure out by how many points they’ll lose. More alarming than the predictabl­y bad Jets offense was a D that had only to worry about LeSean McCoy and was still ripped apart. The Raider O, with an elite receiving corps, should have little trouble exploiting the Jets secondary in this one while Marshawn Lynch pounds away inside. With the Las Vegas Raiders on the horizon, it’s likely the Jets’ final trip into the Black Hole, where history hasn’t been kind to them dating back to the Heidi Game. This time, the TVs can safely be shut off by the 2:00 warning. IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Raiders and the under.

PATRIOTS at SAINTS 1 p.m., Patriots by 6½, 55½

HANK’S HONEYS: It didn’t matter who the opponent would be, this is a bad week to be facing the Patriots. The fact that the Saints made Sam Bradford look like Tom Brady — and now have to face Tom Brady — only makes it worse. The only thing the Saints have going for them is that they’re home, where they have always been a better team. But even in their dome, Pats backers can point to a 7-1 edge ATS in NE’s last 10 road games. The Saints are on a short week. The Patriots are on a long one. The weaknesses the Pats had against the Chiefs can be fixed. The weaknesses the Saints had against the Vikings, notably the OTs, can be exploited.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Patriots and the over.

BILLS at PANTHERS 1 p.m., Panthers by 7½, 42½

HANK’S HONEYS: The Bills are feeling very good about themselves after dumping the Jets. But the Panthers aren’t the Jets. With

Luke Kuechly healthy again, their defense showed signs of the 2015 NFC Championsh­ip variety in San Francisco last week. As former defensive coordinato­r and now Bills coach Sean McDermott know, it’s built starting with the front seven — perfect for stopping Bills’ one-dimensiona­l offense . . . i.e. LeSean McCoy. Cam Newton shook off rust to have an impressive second half in the opener. Carolina’s offensive line played very well in front of him and should be able to move the chains against Buffalo.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Panthers and the under

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