The Giants are headed to another losing season and more than half of their offensive playmakers are injured. In the meantime, Carolina has lost its last three following a 3-0 start and is left with many questions. Where are their seasons headed?
A Giants team decimated by injuries should be a remedy for the Panthers. One issue, though, is that Carolina’s defense gave up a season-high 571 yards in a 34-28 overtime loss to the Vikings last week.
A Closer Look
Home at MetLife Stadium, the 1-5 Giants are desperate for a win. They have the fourth-worst rushing defense in the league. The fact that they have allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of six games speaks volumes.
The Panthers have lost against the spread in each of their last three games. The odds pinpoint that the Giants’ offense will not be much help for quarterback Daniel Jones. The Panthers are also trying to find answers to their defensive struggles.
Jones fumbled and had four turnovers last week against the Rams.
“I’m the head coach,” Giants head coach Joe Judge said to the New York Post. “It’s my responsibility point-blank. Every player on this team, every position group, the execution, it all comes down to me. The fish stinks from the head down.”
Though, injuries are beyond the control of the coach. WR Kadarius Toney and LT Andrew Thomas have become important in their roles but left with injuries last week in the 38-11 loss to the Rams. It has become a struggle every week to fit backups into a starting role.
“He was off to a good start in the game,” Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said about Toney. “I think he had three catches in six plays, and unfortunately we lost him. We have some plays for him obviously throughout the game plan and all the different situations that go away and then we have some plays where we just put somebody else in and they do that. Again, the biggest thing is everybody has to be prepared. You have to be ready to respond.”
Giants Are Walking Wounded
RB Saquon Barkley had another setback with his ankle injury, and that has been a major reason for the offensive struggles. TE Evan Engram (calf), Toney (ankle), and WR Kenny Golladay (hip) did not practice and will need another week to recover.
WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring) will miss his third game. Two other receivers, Darius Slayton (hamstring) and John Ross (hamstring) are questionable as is TE Kaden Smith (knee).
Judge and Garrett have to find a way to utilize RB Devontae Booker, WR Collin Johnson, and WR Dante Pettis —players who would otherwise be observers on the sidelines. The injured have accounted for over 1.600 yards in six games.
Panthers missing Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey, one of the NFL’s top running backs, remains on injured reserve, and that has the Panthers scrambling on offense. In the three full games McCaffrey has missed, QB Sam Darnold has been sacked 12 times and has committed seven turnovers. McCaffrey’s backup Chuba Hubbard will continue to get more opportunities to boost the offense.
Giants Week 7 Betting Odds
There are a couple of ways to go after this game. First, shop around for the best number. As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings had the spread at -2.5 in favor of the Panthers. Other sportsbooks like FanDuel and BetMGM had the Panthers at -3. The total varies depending on the sportsbook, too. Some have it as low as 42. Others have it set at 43.
Here are your best bets:
- Take the Panthers on the point spread at -2.5
- Take over on the total of 43. It’s a low number even though both teams are erratic on offense.