The New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers are set to hook up for Thursday Night Football. With both teams having potent offenses, the Giants hold the edge in this matchup.
The Panthers might have Cam Newton, but the Giants proved last week that they can put up points by the bunches, especially to close out a game.
The Giants will get a boost from running back Andre Brown. The Panthers have given up an average of 146.5 rushing yards in their first two games of 2012. Brown finished Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 71 yards rushing and a touchdown.
What might have been worse for the Panthers was the Bucs waking the Giants up with their aggressive play towards the end of their meeting on Sunday. The Giants know teams will try to beat them since they are the defending champions and the Bucs proved how desperate they were as they had hopes of catching the Giants offguard and creating a strip.
The Giants have a weak secondary so expect the Panthers to get some throws up as Steve Smith and Newton will connect a few times, but the Giants' pass rush has been far too quiet so far this season.
Though Newton is known for evading pass rushers, his quarterbacking style also involves Newton scrambling looking for the open receiver. If there are no open receivers down low, the Panthers' offensive line will likely fold as the Giants possess four of the most potent pass rushers in the NFL.
This should be another high scoring affair. I do not see Eli Manning turning the ball over three times again, which will be bad news for the Panthers. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks had almost 400 yards receiving on Sunday and I expect big numbers from both again.
PREDICTION: This one will end up 34-27 in favor of the Giants.
