Giants vs. Steelers prediction: Monday Night Football odds, pick, best bet

Get ready for an ugly, grind-it-out nonconference matchup between the Giants and Steelers on Monday night. The Giants have lost consecutive matchups against Cincinnati and Philadelphia, plummeting from potential NFC East contender status to the bottom of the division in just two weeks. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is fresh off a dominant 22-point win against the Jets in Russell Wilson’s first game as the Steelers starting quarterback, propelling them into a tie with the Ravens atop the AFC North. Here’s a preview of the game with our best bets against the spread and on the total. After a 25-point home loss against the Eagles, the Giants enter Monday night’s game as 6-point road underdogs.They have covered the spread in three of their seven games, while the Steelers have a 5-2 ATS record. The Giants’ eye-opening road win against the Seahawks three weeks ago without star rookie wideout Malik Nabers put the NFL on notice that there might be a dark horse in the NFC East. However, the G-Men have since dropped back-to-back home games to Philadelphia and Cincinnati, scoring a combined 10 points against teams that have had their fair share of defensive struggles this season. Now the Giants head to Pittsburgh to face a defense that ranks second in opponent points per game, eighth in opponent yards per game and has Pro Football Focus’ third-highest-graded defense through the season’s first seven weeks. Don’t expect the switch to be flipped this week against the Steelers. Daniel Jones threw for just 99 yards against an Eagles secondary that was among the worst football units last season.

While Philly’s defensive backfield has made some sizable strides, Jones’ struggles last week were inexplicable. Still, Brian Daboll believes Jones gives his team “the best chance to win.” Unfortunately for the quarterback, he faces one of the NFL’s most formidable front lines on Monday night, one that leads the NFL in sacks and is third in QB hits. I’ll ride with...