A Smattering Of Plays For Munich Game

Giants vs. Panthers, 9:30 ET

Trends are an interesting thing. I very rarely follow actual trends - you know, things like road teams off of a loss when they play a home favorite in their next game win 57% of the time. I'm sure there are very successful people who take those types of trends, but I personally think it makes no sense. There are so many different players in the mix for those trends and things that I can't just follow them blindly. There are some trends I like and one of them is here in this game between the Giants and Panthers who meet in Germany on Sunday morning.

I've said this for quite some time about the Giants, and this is the trend that I like - in New Jersey, the Giants are terrible. Away from their home field, the Giants are actually pretty good. Specifically, Daniel Jones has played poorly in home games, but when he goes on the road, he is a capable quarterback. At this point I have to imagine that it is mental for Jones. In his road games, he has six of his eight touchdown passes and one interception. To his credit, he did play pretty well last week against the Commanders, but the Giants still lost and have now lost four of their past five games. What are the two wins for the Giants this year? Both came on the road, one in Cleveland and one in Seattle. One major concern for the Giants is that they are allowing 142 rushing yards per game and the Panthers actually have a pretty decent running game with Chuba Hubbard. The Giants pass defense has been surprisingly effective, ranking in the top-10 of yards allowed. The defense should have a good game in this one facing Bryce Young, a guy that has done very little with his opportunities. 

Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA;  Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reavts in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

I can't say that I have a trend for Young. He has looked overmatched in virtually every game of his NFL career, but he might be coming into this game off of his best outing of the year. Last week against the Saints he went 16-for-26 with 171 yards for one touchdown and one interception. The Panthers have traded a lot of players lately so their team is suffering a bit more. Ja'Tavion Sanders was the leading receiver last game, and Xavier Legette was the primary target in the game. Still, the primary focus offensively was getting the ball to Hubbard. He had 15 carries last week for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Panthers are the worst defense in terms of points allowed. They have the worst rushing defense in football, and they also are in the bottom-10 for pass defense. Jones isn't a great quarterback, but the Giants should find a way to get the ball to Malik Nabers. Nabers has been great for the Giants this year, but has slowed down a bit in the last three games. 

Starting with the spread, the Giants should be, and are, favored in this game. Do you feel very comfortable taking them to win by a touchdown though? In my opinion, it's not a great look. I lean toward the Panthers because I just think it is too high of a line. The Giants should be safe bet with a teaser or a moneyline parlay. Instead, I think the under 40.5 is a better look for this one. I expect both teams to focus on running the ball and that should lead to the clock running quite a bit. I also like Nabers to go over his 71.5 receiving yards and be the first touchdown scorer for the Giants. Hubbard is likely to be the first touchdown scorer overall as the Panthers tend to score first in their games. 

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