New England Patriots at New York Giants Betting Odds

New England Patriots at New York Giants (-3) - Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET

The Patriots are 2-1 in the preseason after losing 36-35 to the Rams last week. Tom Brady and the first-team offense were in fine form, however, as the quarterback went 18-22 for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps more importantly, Brady was only sacked once all day. Rookie tight end Ron Gronkowski looked great, catching three passes for 66 yards and two scores. The Patriots' reserves haven't been especially impressive, though, so expect a drop off when Brady and Co. check out of the game.

The New England "D" struggled. Rookie Sam Bradford carved up the secondary and the Patriots managed just two sacks all evening. That's not a good effort against the likes of Bradford, Thaddeus Lewis and Keith Null. New England also allowed 136 yards on the ground, although the Rams only mustered 3.3 yards per carry.

The Giants dropped to 1-2 during the exhibition season after losing 24-10 to the Ravens. The first-team offense failed to score a touchdown as Eli Manning was just 9-18 for 63 yards and an interception. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw had their moments at running back, but once they sat down for the day the rest of the offense completely imploded.

New York didn't get much of an effort from its defense, either. Joe Flacco tossed two touchdown passes as the Baltimore starters racked up 17 first-half points. If there's a silver lining, it's that New York racked up five sacks against the Ravens, including three on Flacco. Still, surrendering over 300 passing yards is a big concern after a rough year on "D" in 2009.

Ultimately, the Giants are just trying to reach the regular season unscathed. New York was ravaged by injuries on defense last year, and it looks like the offense's turn in 2010; the offensive line is banged up, the receivers and tight ends have missed time throughout August, and even Manning cut his forehead in a preseason game. It's hard to imagine either team taking many chances with players, but it's even harder to imagine New York taking any at all. Bet on New England to cover the three-point spread at SPORTSBETTING.com.

Week 4 NFL preseason lines

• New England at New York Giants (-3)
• Buffalo at Detroit (-4.5)
• Cincinnati (-6.5) at Indianapolis
• New York Jets at Philadelphia (-2)
• Carolina at Pittsburgh (-5.5)
• Atlanta at Jacksonville (-2.5)
• New Orleans at Tennessee (-7)
• Tampa Bay at Houston (-3)
• Green Bay at Kansas City (-5.5)
• Chicago (-2.5) at Cleveland
• Miami at Dallas (-4)
• Baltimore at St. Louis (-3)
• Denver at Minnesota (-4.5)
• San Diego at San Francisco (-3.5)
• Washington at Arizona (-5.5)
• Seattle at Oakland (-3)