Giants vs. Panthers: Preview and Prediction

What a difference a half of football makes. The New York Giants entered the locker room last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans down 13-0, with their offense looking just as hopeless as it had for much of last season. But Big Blue walked out of that locker room a different team, and preceded to score three touchdowns en route to a comeback 21-20 Week 1 victory.

Now, with a win in their back pocket and a seemingly amenable schedule ahead of them, Giants fans are thinking about going on a nice little run to start the season. If New York wants to maintain their momentum from last week, they’ll have to get past the Carolina Panthers this Sunday in their home opener. The Panthers are coming off an agonizing defeat in their own home opener, in which they lost 26-24 to the Cleveland Browns on a last-second 58-yard field goal.

Despite their inverted records, there wasn’t much seperating these teams’ Week 1 performances. Both shook off an ugly offensive first half to rally back and take a slim lead in the final minute against a good-but-not-great AFC opponent. The only difference was that Carolina’s opponent made their game-winning field goal attempt, while New York’s opponent missed theirs.

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The similarities between the Panthers and Giants don’t end with their Week 1 game scripts. Both teams have a quarterback on the final year of their rookie contract, fighting to prove they belong as long-term NFL starters. Both have a superstar running back (drafted by Dave Gettleman, maybe not so coincidentally) looking for a comeback season after having been hampered by injury. Both have a rookie first-round offensive tackle that hopefully can be the final piece of a fledgling offensive line.

These teams match up well, but the Giants have a more injury-diminished lineup. Big Blue’s top two pass rushers, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, missed Week 1 and don’t appear on track to play on Sunday, either. Their number-two cornerback, Aaron Robinson, will miss Sunday due to an appendectomy. Rookie receiver Wan’Dale Robinson suffered a knee injury last week his status is up in the air. Of course, starting left guard Shane Lemieux remains on IR with a foot injury.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s game, followed by a prediction for the final score.

Where and When

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday at 1:00pm EST/10:00am PST

Injuries

Carolina: OT Taylor Moton (Questionable), LB Frankie Luvu (Questionable), LB Brandon Smith (Questionable), DE Marquis Haynes (Questionable)

New York: OLB Azeez Ojulari (Questionable), Kayvon Thibodeaux (Questionable), S Jason Pinnock (Questionable), C Jon Feliciano (Questionable), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (Questionable), CB Nick McCloud (Questionable), CB Aaron Robinson (Questionable), WR Kadarius Toney (Questionable)

Most Concerning Matchup: RB Christian McCaffrey vs. ILBs Tae Crowder & Austin Calitro

When the Giants released veteran Blake Martinez just a week before the regular season, they made their already shaky group of inside linebackers even worse. Crowder and Calitro are both better suited for backup or reserve roles. That showed up last Sunday, as they both got torched for a touchdown reception by running back Dontrell Hilliard.

If New York’s linebackers had trouble covering Hilliard, they’ll have a miserable time trying to stay with McCaffrey on Sunday. When healthy, McCaffrey is one of if not the best pass-catching backs in football. He topped 1000 yards receiving in his All-Pro 2019 campaign. The Giants should commit multiple defenders to McCaffrey, because leaving Crowder or Calitro in man-coverage is asking to get beat.

Most Promising Matchup: OT Andrew Thomas vs. DE Brian Burns

Lost in the excitement over running back Saquon Barkley‘s phenonemal performance last Sunday was the great showing from Thomas at left tackle. The third-year man out of Georgia allowed just pressure against the Titans, locking down pass rusher Bud Dupree while doing strong work in the run game.

Andrew Thomas was dominant vs the Titans 🍎 pic.twitter.com/nY6kpeV9ji

— PFF (@PFF) September 13, 2022

Thomas improved dramatically from his rookie season to his second season, and looks poised to take another step in his third. He’s a real advantage for the Giants, one that should be well leveraged in this matchup against the Panthers.

The star of Carolina’s defense is Burns, a quick, bendy edge rusher coming off back-to-back nine-sack seasons. Most teams providing their tackles with help from tight ends and running backs to help deal with high-end rushers like Burns. Thomas has earned the opportunity to take on the matchup against Burns by himself. If he can effectively take Burns out the game, that will open Big Blue’s offensive gameplan.

Keys to Victory

Defensively, coordinator Wink Martindale needs to generate as much pressure as possible on quarterback Baker Mayfield. Pressuring the quarterback is a good idea against any opponent, but Mayfield can get especially misktake-prone when rattled. Also, with a injury-compromised secondary, the Giants can’t have their defensive backs cover for too long.

On offense, Barkley needs to follow up his monster Week 1 with another super-productive outing. Carolina gave up 217 total rushing yards to the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, so they’re certainly susceptible on the ground. In the passing game, one of Kenny Golladay or Kadarius Toney needs to step up. Those two are ostensibly the Giants top two receivers, but both were nearly invisible (for different reasons) in Week 1. Another week of Richie James being quarterback Daniel Jones‘ top target can’t happen.

Final Score Prediction: Panthers 26 – Giants 24

Like we already mentioned, these teams match up well. But with the Giants being shorthanded and their passing offense looking far from where it needs to be, the Panthers will eke out a nail biter.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.