The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers were on opposite ends of close calls in Week 1.
The Giants rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Titans on the road, 21-20, as Brian Daboll‘s bold decision to go for the win paid off in his Giants coaching debut. Saquon Barkley capped off a stellar day with the game-winning two-point conversion after Chris Myarick scored with 1:06 remaining.
Carolina also rallied from a 13-point deficit in their home opener against the Browns, but Cleveland had the last laugh against their former quarterback Baker Mayfield as rookie kicker Cade York drilled a 58-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to doom the Panthers to a 26-24 defeat.
Can the Giants keep the streak rolling? Or will the Panthers get back to .500 when these two teams meet up at MetLife Stadium Sunday?
Let’s dig into our Carolina vs New York predictions and betting tips.
Panthers vs Giants Odds
The Giants open up as two-point home favorites in this game, which is a bit of a surprise as that means oddsmakers would favor the Panthers on a neutral field.
At Caesars Sportsbook, the total for this Week 2 contest is currently sitting at 43.5 points, which is on the lower end of the scoring spectrum for this full 16-game slate.
Take a look at the best Panthers odds and Giants odds for the 2022 NFL season.
Panthers vs Giants Implied Score
Giants 22.75, Panthers 20.75
Bookmakers are expecting the Giants to play a very similar game to their Week 1 contest, which was close and low-scoring. That makes a lot of sense, especially since the Panthers (17.9) and the Giants (15.2) both ranked in the bottom five in the NFL in points per game last season.
Panthers vs Giants Pick of the Day
Read more on this Panthers vs Giants bet below.
Panthers vs Giants Matchup
The Panthers put wide receiver and kick-return specialist Andre Roberts (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, which means Carolina could be at a bit of a disadvantage on special teams.
The Giants also have a doubt at wide receiver, as rookie Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) exited the team’s Week 1 win in the second quarter after making one catch for five yards. He is considered day-to-day and could play Sunday, but was not practicing as of Wednesday.
Panthers vs Giants Prediction
Panthers 23, Giants 17
Giants fans will now have some expectations heading into their home opener, which might be bad news since New York hasn’t won its first home game of the season since 2016.
To be fair, the Giants also hadn’t won their season-opener since 2016 either, but that streak ended Sunday after Titans kicker Randy Bullock missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.
Maybe things will be different under Daboll and his new staff, but Jones has never looked quite comfortable at MetLife Stadium and has played better away from home over the past few years. The Giants did beat a Sam Darnold-led Panthers team at home last season, but they also fell flat in early-season matchups against the Falcons and Teddy Bridgewater‘s Broncos.
After losing his revenge game against Cleveland, there will be less pressure on Mayfield and more on Jones to deliver in this spot. In what is essentially a toss-up game, I like the road team to get the job done.
Panthers vs Giants Bet Tips
The Giants were 3-5 against the spread (ATS) at home last season and lost outright in their only instance as a home favorite. Things got worse for the Giants’ offense last season after Jones got injured, so take this with a grain of salt, but the Under hit in every New York home game in 2021 (7-0-1).
Panthers vs Giants Best Bets
Panthers +2 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
The odds are telling us that the Panthers are the better team in this game, and while I like the Giants to improve this season, I think there’s a chance we could see another sluggish start from them on Sunday.
Backing Carolina to win outright is certainly tempting, but I’m happy to take a couple of points in case we see another close game as we did for both of these teams in Week 1.
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Under 43.5 Total Points (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
I trust these two defenses more than I trust these two offenses.
Despite allowing 26 points to Jacoby Brissett and the Browns, the Panthers’ defense didn’t play too poorly in Week 1. Cleveland averaged just 3.9 yards per pass attempt against Carolina but had way more success on the ground (5.6 per carry).
Barkley and the Giants will have some success running the ball, which will keep the clock moving. In what should be a closer game, Carolina should run a slower tempo than last week as they look to establish their own ground game with Christian McCaffrey.
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Panthers vs Giants Props
Panthers 1H Moneyline (+110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Instead of taking the full-game moneyline, I’m going to back the Panthers to come out strong in the first half. Mayfield and co. will be desperate after a tough Week 1 loss, and McCaffrey will want to get going after a quiet performance in the opener by his high standards.
The Giants didn’t score in the first half last week and have been known to struggle at home over the past few years. This is too tempting of a let-down spot to pass up.
Panthers vs Giants Parlays
Panthers Moneyline & Under 43.5 Points (+310) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
I’d definitely want to add some player props to the mix once those are released later in the week, but this parlay is a good way to maximize the full-game outcomes that we like.
