After the New York Giants’ latest beatdown at the hands of their divisional rivals in the Philadelphia Eagles, one would expect the opening line for their upcoming game at home in MetLife Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers to closely mimic, if not surpass, the prior game’s judgment.

Those same folks should think again, as the Giants are expected to be much closer competitors against their newest visitor, the 49ers, in Week 9. According to FanDuel’s opening lines for this weekend’s slate of action, New York is currently a 2.5-point home underdog in the early window on Sunday.

While the oddsmakers’ initial mark maintains the Giants’ weeks-long status as the prohibitive underdog, it is a sharp decline from the last three contests, which featured a sandwich of games against Philadelphia and Denver, where the Giants were given an opening line of at least 7 points in those matchups.

The one similarity in two of those games was that the Giants covered the number comfortably by beating the Eagles outright, 34-17, in their first faceoff in Week 6 and losing to the Broncos the next week by just a point after they were up by as much as 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Only their second meeting with Philadelphia would go sideways, as they suffered another blow to their ranks due to injuries and came unprepared for the Eagles’ healthy rushing attack and pass rush, falling to 2-6 in a 38-20 rout.

With the Giants set to host the visiting 49ers, the smaller gap in the opening odds could also be representative of how the team has played in the friendly confines of East Rutherford this year.

They hold a 2-1 record entering their fourth contest at MetLife Stadium, with the only defeat coming to the Kansas City Chiefs in the home opener in Week 3.

On the other hand, the 49ers, who come into the halfway mark of the 2025 season with a 5-3 record, have not been as domineering as their record might suggest.

San Francisco has dealt with their own bevy of injuries, none more important than to starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who has missed time with a toe ailment and has only won three games by more than a three-point margin.

As both organizations’ injury reports are still littered with critical names, some of whom are expected to remain out for Sunday’s game, it’s clear that the betting world expects this matchup to remain close and potentially swing in the Giants’ favor if they come to play.

The 49ers are certainly a team the Giants can hang with offensively, as they haven’t topped 26 points in a single game this season, and their system has leaned more on their passing attack, leaving them very one-dimensional.

San Francisco currently ranks 26th in the NFL in points scored and 21st in redzone scoring percentage (52.0%).

Part of that has come from their mediocre protection up front, which hasn’t made life easy for their quarterbacks, Brock Purdy or Mac Jones, to fully execute the offense, given their sub-20th placement in team pass and run block win rates.

In addition, their rushing attack hasn’t been as strong as it has in recent seasons, even with a healthy Christian McCaffrey leading the backfield.

McCaffrey, who has dealt with injury woes in his tenure with the 49ers, has not missed a game this season, yet he has only collected 490 yards and three touchdowns, which stands 13th in his position group entering Week 9.

If the Giants’ defensive front can clean up their poor performance against the Eagles and get back to pressuring the 49ers’ backfield at a high rate, they’ll have the upper hand in trimming their opponent’s drives and getting the ball back into the hands of their offense to control the game clock

Compared to the Eagles, who had a peskier defense, the Giants, who rank in the top 15 in average drive metrics, should be able to move the ball efficiently against San Francisco’s unit, so long as they protect the football and don’t turn it over in big moments.

The 49ers are 22nd in the league in yards allowed to opponents this season, including the 24th-worst average pass play (6.6 yards), and are in the middle of the pack in the same rushing categories, where the Giants have made a living in recent weeks.

Still, the Giants will have to lean more heavily on their receiving corps as their backfield took a major hit last Sunday when Cam Skattebo went down with a dislocated ankle injury that has sidelined his rookie campaign. His fellow ball carriers haven’t been as impactful with their reps.

Where it all will matter the most is whether Jaxson Dart and his teammates can make the game-winning plays when they enter the 49ers’ 20-yard line. They are coming off a game where they went 2-of-3 inside the red zone against Philadelphia, but the one area where the 49ers tend to tighten up is closer to their own goal line, with the eighth-best opponent red zone scoring percentage.

Put it all together, and this was a matchup that looked to have more spice to it at the beginning of the season, but both sides have been hampered by injuries that have cut down their full offensive potential.

The fact that the game is an early one on the East Coast could help the Giants as much as their success at protecting home turf. The 49ers are 1-3 away from the friendly confines of Levi’s Stadium and their side of the country, leaving an interesting choice by the oddsmakers to see which football team overcomes all their issues to run away with the win.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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