Panthers face struggling Giants in Munich
by Sharon Thorsland
For the first time in team history, the Panthers will play in Munich, Germany, taking on the New York Giants on Sunday. Kick-off is set for 9:30am ET. This is a match-up of two struggling teams, they’re both 2-7 on the season. But at least the Panthers are coming off a win over the Saints, while the Giants dropped their fourth straight contest after losing to the Commanders last week.
Offense, or lack thereof, has been the issue for the Giants. They rank dead last in the NFL averaging just 15 points per game. Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones has thrown just eight touchdowns to go with five interceptions. But the former Duke standout can make plenty of plays with his feet, and that’s what makes him dangerous. “The guy can run,” said Panther edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. “Very dangerous runner with the ball and he can throw on the run. When you got a versatile quarterback like that, that’s what makes him so special.”
Jones has a special receiver in rookie Malik Nabers, who ranks third in the NFL with 55 receptions for 557 yards – and he missed two games due to injury. Veteran Darius Slayton is dealing with a concussion, but 5’8 Wan’dale Robinson has 51 catches, and rookie tight end Theo Johnson has worked his way into a starting role. They’ll be challenged by Panther corner backs Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, who shut down the Saints last week and look to build on that performance.
In one of the strangest moves of the off-season, the Giants let star running back Saquan Barkley walk, the Pro Bowler left for Philadelphia in free agency. They replaced him with veteran Devin Singletary and rookie Tyrone Tracy, Jr., who has ended up as their leading rusher with 442 yards and two touchdowns. No matter what back they face, the Panthers are having trouble stopping the run – they rank dead last in the league giving up over 159 yards per game on the ground.
The Giants aren’t much better against the run but they’re pretty darn good against the pass, ranking 9th in the NFL giving up just 192 yards per game through the air. It starts up front with an outstanding pass rush – their 35 sacks lead the NFL. The Giants run a 3-4 scheme that features a familiar face in former Panther Brian Burns, who was traded to NY in the off-season. He has five sacks on the season and would no doubt like to pick up some more against his former team, although he resisted making any negative comments about them this week. Burns teams with star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who leads the team with nine sacks, edge rusher Azeez Ojulari has six sacks. The Giants have a young secondary featuring second year corner back Deonte Banks and rookie safety Tyler Nubin. “It’s a really good unit,” said Panther quarterback Bryce Young, who will make his third straight start in place of Andy Dalton. “Very physical, they communicate well, very sound in what they do. So I think it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
Young and the Panthers didn’t exactly set the world on fire against the Saints last week but they did what they had to do with the game on the line – they finished. Can they do it again against a struggling Giants team?