The New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills meet Saturday in NFL preseason action from Highmark Stadium. This will be the first preseason game of the 2025 campaign for both teams. Here’s a Bills vs Giants prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Bills vs Giants pick.
New York Giants Betting Preview
The Giants made history last year by playing their 100th season in the National Football League. Unfortunately, New York’s record couldn’t step up in celebration, as the team finished a dismal 3-14 overall—even worse than 2023’s rough 6-11 run. Needless to say, that mark put the Giants in the basement of the NFC East as they finished out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Making matters worse, the Giants were swept by their division mates for the first time in the history of the franchise. There were myriad issues plaguing the team the whole way, like significant injuries to key players (like starting tackle Andrew Thomas, who was sidelined with a Lisfranc issue) and a rough passing game spurred by poor quarterback play alongside nearly nonexistent blocking. Watching former star Saquon Barkley win a Super Bowl with the rival Philadelphia Eagles added an extra pinch of salt to the Giants’ wounds.
This year New York really has nowhere to go but up in the fourth season under head coach Brian Daboll. First-round draft pick Abdul Carter (DE; Penn State) joins fellow first-rounder Jaxson Dart (QB; Ole Miss) in attempting to add some youthful energy to a franchise mired in ineptitude at the moment. Making matters worse, New York drew the toughest schedule in the league this season. All isn’t doom and gloom however, as that metric isn’t necessarily the kiss of death for a team on the rebound.
Buffalo Bills Betting Preview
Over on the Bills’ side, they had significantly more success in the 2024 campaign but still fell short in their ultimate quest for a Super Bowl ring. Buffalo would go 13-4 and take the AFC East title for the fifth straight year. It was an improvement over the Bills’ 11-6 mark from the previous season, and hopes were high heading into the playoffs. Buffalo started out well, dispatching the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Playoffs and the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. In the AFC Championship however, the Bills were stopped short by the Kansas City Chiefs, who would go on to lose the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, there were plenty of things for Buffalo to be proud of when it came to their 2024 run. The Bills won all eight of their home games for the first time since 1990 and scored a total of 525 points—a franchise record.
Sean McDermott is back in the saddle for his ninth season as head coach of the Bills. He’s looking for a seventh straight winning season. Overall however, pundits are expecting Buffalo to take a slight step back in the win department. Their over/under is generally set to 11.5 victories, however they’re the odds-on favorites to take the spotty AFC East once again. Barring a breakdown or a rash of injuries, Buffalo should at least be able to power out another playoff berth as champions of their division.
Buffalo Bills Player Prop Facts
- Josh Allen has scored two or more touchdowns in each of the Bills’ last three games with a total points line of at least 50.0.
- James Cook has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Bills’ last six games as favorites against AFC opponents.
- Josh Allen has recorded 243+ passing yards in each of the Bills’ last six September games as home favorites against AFC opponents.
- Curtis Samuel has recorded 22+ rushing and receiving yards in nine of his last 10 September home appearances.
- Curtis Samuel has recorded 22+ receiving yards in eight of his last nine September home appearances.
- James Cook has recorded 67+ rushing yards in four of the Bills’ last five Sunday home games.
- Josh Allen has recorded 23+ completions in each of the Bills’ last six September games as home favorites against AFC opponents.
- James Cook ranked T1st in the NFL in rushing touchdowns (16) last season.
New York Giants Player Prop Facts
- Malik Nabers has scored at least one touchdown in three of the Giants’ last four games.
- Russell Wilson has recorded 240+ passing yards in each of his last seven September road appearances.
- Tyrone Tracy has recorded 66+ rushing and receiving yards in seven of the Giants’ last eight Sunday games.
- Darius Slayton has recorded 22+ receiving yards in each of the Giants’ last eight games against the Commanders.
- Russell Wilson has recorded 17+ rushing yards in each of his seven previous September appearances with his team as an underdog against NFC opponents.
- Jameis Winston has recorded 23+ completions in each of his last five road appearances as a starter.
- Eric Gray ranked 4th in the NFL in kick return yards (554) last season.
Bills vs Giants Prediction
I’ll just lean toward the Bills. Sure, it’s a preseason opener and we won’t see much (if any) of the star players on the roster. That said, Buffalo has a proven system in place these days and shouldn’t have too many issues hitting the ground running. The Bills will need a quick start, as they’ve got a major showdown with the Ravens looming in Week 1. With a little luck however, Buffalo will be right in the mix at the top of the league by season’s end.
As for the Giants, there’s reason for optimism—just not too much optimism. New York won’t be doing much this year, but we should see a step forward. At this point that’s just about all we can ask.