The New York Giants have gone 4-1 to start the 2022 NFL season. It has been a surprising start and part of the credit belongs to Saquon Barkley. Through five games, he has rushed for 533 yards and he is among the league leaders in that category. New York remains an underdog to make the 2023 NFL postseason.
Betting odds on the New York Giants
The Giants are 21/20 (+105) to make the NFL playoffs with bet365 sportsbook. One would think that they might be shorter than that based on their 4-1 start to the season.
However, Barkley is central to the team's offense. Furthermore, he has a history of injuries. That could be part of the reason for a lack of confidence in the Giants.
Furthermore, the simplest way to get into the postseason is to win your division. New York shares a division with 5-0 Philadelphia and 4-1 Dallas. There's a good chance that the Giants will need a record that competes in the Wild Card race. At best, they are in a three-horse race for their division title and Philadelphia has the edge.
But there still seems to be a prejudice against New York. Are bettors and the oddsmakers still affected by the preseason analysis?
Some of the other 4-1 teams are considered locks or heavy favorites for the postseason. The Buffalo Bills are 1 to 35 to make the playoffs, meaning a bet of 35 units would profit just 1. The Cowboys are 2 to 9 to make the playoffs and they have a 4-1 record. The Minnesota Vikings are also 4-1 and they are 2 to 11 to make the postseason.
What's next for the Giants?
It seems that there is a prejudice against New York, even though the Giants defeated a good team in Week 5. The Giants won a road game in Green Bay to improve to 4-1. The Packers were generally considered a Top 5 team in the league before Week 5.
Next up for New York is a tough one against the Baltimore Ravens. After that, it should be pretty smooth sailing with Jacksonville, Seattle, Houston, and Detroit coming up. A 7-3 start for the Giants is by no means off the table.
