The Giants are coming into Monday night off one of their most encouraging wins in years. The Rams, on the other hand, are trying to put a 27-7 loss in Australia firmly behind them.

This isn’t exactly a heated rivalry — they haven’t played each other since 2023 — but there’s no shortage of big names. Matthew Stafford's the reigning MVP, Jaxson Dart's coming off the best game of his young career, and John Harbaugh and Sean McVay will be facing off from opposite sidelines. Then there’s Aaron Donald, who’s expected to take the field for the first time after sitting out the past two seasons.

The Giants and Rams will kick off at SoFi Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday. You can watch the game on ESPN or ABC, with the ManningCast available on ESPN2 and streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+.

New York Has To Make Week 1 Travel

The Giants didn’t just squeak by Dallas in Harbaugh’s debut. They controlled that game from the start.

New York finished with 394 yards and converted nine of their first 10 third downs before kneeling out the win. Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, then added 54 yards on the ground. Isaiah Likely caught eight passes for 78 yards and two scores, and then there was Cam Skattebo, who came back from last season’s ankle injury and chipped in 81 rushing yards and a touchdown.

It looked like Harbaugh football pretty quickly: physical, patient, and perfectly fine winning the game between the tackles.

Now comes the harder part. Can the Giants do it again against a Rams defense with a lot more talent than Dallas had? Los Angeles won’t have reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett after knee surgery got him put on injured reserve, but Aaron Donald is expected to make his return and bring plenty of chaos with him. Nobody knows how many snaps a 35-year-old defensive tackle can handle after two years away. I’m sure the Giants aren't interested in finding out the hard way.

They can’t turn this into 40 straight dropbacks with Donald wrecking things up front and Trent McDuffie taking away one side of the field. Skattebo, Likely, and Dart’s legs all need to keep the Rams guessing. If New York stays ahead of the sticks and controls the clock again, this game could get uncomfortable for Los Angeles in a hurry.

Matthew Stafford Has An Opening

Los Angeles’ opener was rough enough that the questions were pretty much unavoidable. Stafford finished 15 of 25 for 155 yards and threw an interception. They converted just two of nine third downs and scored just once in a 20-point loss to San Francisco.

The trip to Australia didn’t exactly make things easier. The Rams got there barely a day before kickoff, looked sluggish from the start, and came home with McVay joking that he needed the de-neuralyzer from Men in Black. Monday gives them their first real chance to show that Week 1 was more about the travel mess than a sign of bigger problems.

That’s the case the Rams are hoping to make, anyway. Stafford was the league MVP last season after throwing for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns. Puka Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches for 1,715 yards, and Davante Adams caught a league-high 14 touchdowns. This offense didn’t suddenly forget how to play football.

The bigger concern right now is Nacua’s hip injury, which kept him out of Friday’s practice.

Stafford was perfect on all seven of his Week 1 attempts when he got the ball out in under 2.5 seconds. When he held it longer, he went 8 of 18. With Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux coming after him, the plan seems pretty clear: get the ball out quickly and go after those banged-up corners before the Giants’ pass rush has a chance to wreck the game.

Who Wins Monday Night?

The Giants are a lot easier to believe in after what they did in Week 1. Dart looked comfortable, the running game had some real bite to it, and you could already see Harbaugh’s influence all over the field.

Still, I’m giving the Rams the benefit of the doubt here. They’re back home, and Aaron Donald’s return should give the place a jolt. More than anything, though, Stafford’s just too good to stay quiet against a Giants secondary that’s dealing with some injuries.

I think New York makes this a lot more interesting than the oddsmakers expect, but Stafford finds the matchup he needs late and makes just enough plays to pull it out.

Prediction: Rams 27, Giants 23

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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