Giants vs. Panthers preview

The Giants look to build on Monday night’s thrashing at Washington at home against Carolina tomorrow afternoon. It will be the final regular season game at the original Giants Stadium,and it has huge playoff implications. Here is how we see it shaking out.

OFFENSE

It is a not realistic to expect the same kind of offensive output as in the last two games (83 points),but Eli Manning is on a roll and the Giants are running the ball effectively of late. If they can slow Julius Peppers, and use short passes and screens for balance, it will be a long day for Carolina’s D. The Panthers will lead with Jonathan Stewart as DeAngelo Williams sits with an injury, and he is capable, but the Giants have slowed the run nicely of late.Matt Moore had a breakout game against Minnesota last week, and Steve Smith has burned the G-men before, so don’t be surprised if they try to double team him, even with a depleted secondary. EDGE:GIANTS

DEFENSE

The Giants,because of said secondary,must put pressure on Moore, and not allow him to stretch the field. The Panthers held Brett Favre’s Vikings to seven points last week, but the Vikes have been sputtering recently and play better in their dome. EDGE:GIANTS

SPECIAL TEAMS

Here is where I disclose that I am traveling and blogging from my Blackberry, and do not have the stats handy to effectively compare special teams. So apologies for that. But the Giants’ special teams have improved a tad in every facet, and John Kasay is pretty reliable for the Panthers. EDGE:EVEN

COACHING

Tom Coughlin and his coaches put a flawless gameplan together that was executed to perfection Monday night, especially on offense. Can they do it again? There is no need to tell the team how important the game is. John Fox may be coaching in his last two games for the Panthers, but his teams always play hard for him. EDGE:GIANTS

INTANGIBLES

The Giants need this game and will have the 12th man to help them. EDGE:GIANTS

THE PICK

Yes, the Giants have been inconsistent, but this one is far too important to lose. The Panthers may be better than their 6-8 record, but not by much. GIANTS 34, PANTHERS 24

FANTASY OUTLOOK

For the Giants, Ahmad Bradshaw,however gimpy, is playing far better than Brandon Jacobs. And Manning is on fire lately, so play him as well as NY Steve Smith with confidence. If Matt Moore is your QB in your championship, that can’t be good, but you could sure do worse than facing a banged up Giants D. CAR Steve Smith is also playing well of late. Carolina has the better fantasy defense, but Tynes is a better fantasy kicker than Kasay simply because of chances.