18.08.2023

Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants Preseason Game Preview and Pick

Week two of the NFL preseason kicked off last night, and it will continue today with two more games slated to be played. One of those games will feature the number one overall pick Bryce Young and the Panthers in New York to take on the Giants. Both teams will be looking for their first preseason win after losing last week, and the Panthers will also be looking for their first touchdown as well. We’ll preview the game before going over my play.

Game Preview

For the second straight week, the Panthers find themselves playing a New York team, but they will be looking for a much different result this time around. Bryce Young’s NFL debut did not go according to plan, as he went 4 for 6 for 21 yards and then watched his team lose 27-0. Carolina’s play offensively was sloppy all the way around, as their o-line allowed five sacks, they had two fumbles (one lost), and Matt Corral threw an interception.

The same players on the field in week one will likely be out there tonight as well, meaning we probably won’t see Andy Dalton or Miles Sanders. Bryce Young is also expected to play the same amount of snaps he did last week, so it will be up to Matt Corral for most of the game to lead the offense. To be successful, the second-year QB will need his o-line and running game to improve since the team finished last week with just 52 rush yards on 15 attempts.

Setting up any type of offense could be difficult tonight against a Giants defense that came up with two interceptions last week in their 21-16 loss. New York only allowed one offensive touchdown on a one-yard QB sneak, with the other touchdown coming on a punt return. Overall, New York’s defense came up with one sack, and the team’s highest-graded player on PFF for the game was linebacker Micah McFadden.

Offensively, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor would only drop back four times and complete three of his passes for seven yards. The rest of the game was operated by rookie quarterback Tommy Devito, who would go 15 for 24 with 155 yards and one touchdown and interception. Veteran Cole Beasley would prove to be Devito’s favorite target, pulling a team-high four receptions for 33 yards.

Pick for the Game

The Carolina Panthers team total on BetMGM is currently set at 18.5, and I’ll be taking the under for my play. Frank Reich’s squad was the only team not to score in week one of the preseason, and while they may find the endzone tonight, I don’t think they can do it enough against the Giants' defense to go over their total.

After allowing five sacks in week one, they take on a Giants defense run by Wink Martindale that loves to bring pressure, which could bring a lot of issues for the Panthers since they are expected to be rotating players all night on the o-line. According to Frank Reich, four players are set to rotate at right guard, which puts a lot of pressure on Young and Corral to get the ball out of their hands.

Once they do get the ball out, the receiving corp they’ll be throwing to is not overly impressive. In week one, the Panthers' highest-graded receiver on PFF was Derek Wright, with a 75.9 grade. The running game doesn’t look too promising either after struggling to get anything going last week; the Panthers' running backs will now have to deal with limited room to run due to their offensive line’s shortcomings.