Hank Gola

THE BEST GAMES TO BET GIANTS at PATRIOTS Monday, 8:15 p.m., Pats by 7 ½, 47 ½ HANK'S HONEYS: Someone called the Giants the best 2-9 team in history.

Both offenses (second and third in points) have edges over the opposing defenses and figure to push this score well over the total. However, the Cowboys' abysmal metrics no longer apply. They've won three straight including as underdogs to both reigning conference champs, all due to the improvement of the defense through trades and some young players stepping up. Their interior line can be considered one of the league's best and the Lions may have to lean even more on their running game with the status of Amon-Ra St. Brown's ankle up in the air. The Cowboys were being gashed for 143 yards per game but after Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark arrived, they have stuffed runners at 69.7 yards per game and have limited longest runs from scrimmage to eight, eight and 14 yards over that span. The Lions might not get the chunk plays that have characterized their rushing attack. They are 0-4 straight up when held to under 100 yards. Conversely, nothing tells us that the Lions will be able to contain the dynamic Dallas aerial attack. In their last two losses the Detroit defense has given up over 600 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns with only one sack. The lack of any pass rush has made it easier for quarterbacks to attack the Lions' man coverage.

Neither team deserves your faith. Baker Mayfield has been struggling, particularly when facing a good pass rush. The Falcons have that, with an average of 4.5 sacks over the past six games. Mayfield has passed for fewer than 200 yards in four straight games and is responsible for five turnovers compared to four TD throws. Perhaps he'll turn

THE BEST GAMES TO BET JETS at JAGUARS 1 p.m., Jaguars by 11 ½, 42

J.J. McCarthy has picked it up and the Vikings have emerged from their malaise, even if their playoff chances are practically nil.

Sam Darnold is 0-3 against the Rams since the start of the 2024 season and 21-4 against everyone else. What gives? Our minds keep returning to Sam Darnold's last two starts against the Rams (last year's playoff game with the Vikings and this year's first meeting). Each time, he crumbled under pressure, because, while Darnold is an adept blit

Odds are against Marcus Mariota playing on a short week after sustaining hand and quad injuries Saturday and we saw enough of Josh Johnson to know we don't want to see him in a shootout against Dak Prescott, who will be annihilating this slow-footed Washington defense as his receivers run around the lot. Yes, Dallas can match terrible

THE BEST GAMES TO BET TEXANS at CHARGERS Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Chargers by 2, 40

THE BEST GAMES TO BET PANTHERS at BUCS Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Bucs by 2 ½, 44

: This is a bad matchup for the Steelers offense, holy water or not. There's a huge dip in Aaron Rodgers' play when facing a strong pass rush (see Browns/Ravens the last two games) and we've seen how the Texans' edge rushers can take over a game. DK Metcalf returns from suspension as Rodgers' favorite target but the Texans have as good a CB tandem (Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter) as any team in the NFL. Mike Tomlin loves to run the football and play the field position game but the Texans have held eight of their last 11 opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing. The Steelers haven't beaten any of the 2026 playoff teams since Week 3 against the Pats. In their five losses to playoff teams, their smoke and mirrors defense has allowed 30.8 points per game. Houston's offense doesn't overwhelm anyone. However, CJ Stroud has played relatively well since returning from a Week 9 concussion to continue the Texans' nine-game winning streak. His chemistry with downfield receiving threat Nico Collins is undeniable and the Steelers' secondary has been burned for big plays all season. The Steelers are also coming off a physical war with the Texans resting key starters in the second half against the Colts.