Wildcard week - Panthers at Giants
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
Giants Stadium
Sunday, 8 January
1300 EST on Fox / 1800 GMT on Sky Sports Xtra
John Fox, Giants defensive coordinator from 1997-2001, returns to the Meadowlands as head coach of the Panthers in what is the most difficult game of the weekend to predict. Carolina, Super Bowl losers just two seasons ago, are forced to make the visit to the frozen north-east because they lost a tie-breaker with Tampa Bay atop the NFC South. New York, meanwhile, won the NFC East title by a game from Washington after controversially playing nine of their 16 games at home as the second match of the season was moved from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.
The Giants' massive gamble on Eli Manning (they traded the equivalent of four draft choices to the Chargers in April 2004) has begun to pay off this season. The youngest of the Manning quarterback dynasty has led the Big Blue to the playoffs after a two-year gap, the time it has taken coach Tom Coughlin to give the side a massive overhaul. Coughlin's term has coincided with the outstanding development of running back Tiki Barber, who has overcome his reputation as a fumble-prone, under-sized back to become the second-best rusher in the league this season, with 1,860 yards.
Carolina had to replace their first-choice running back in mid-season, with DeShaun Foster taking over for the injured Stephen Davis. Quarterback Jake Delhomme has had another dependable-yet-unspectacular season, ranking 12th in the league despite 16 interceptions. Steve Smith leads the league with 1,563 receiving yards, but that disguises the Panthers' over-reliance on him as that total is almost four times that reliable veteran Ricky Proehl, his closest team-mate.
The Giants' undoing could come in the passing game, on both sides of the ball. Manning has enjoyed some sublime spells this year but can be hot-headed under pressure, particularly with tight end Jeremy Shockey (one of his release valves) struggling with an ankle injury. Carolina's defensive front four are one of the best in the league and could teach young Manning a life lesson, unless Barber can help out by distracting them.
The Giants have a pair of awesome defensive ends in youngster Osi Umenyiora and veteran Michael Strahan (yes, the Right Guard golfer) but there defensive backfield is suspect and may not be able to keep a handle on the speedy, physical Smith. There problems are compounded as linebacker Antonio Pierce is on the injury list, which may mean they have to divert extra effort to dealing with the rushing threat. In a low-scoring encounter, Carolina come out on top, say 21-14.
NFLBriefing.com
Giants Stadium
Sunday, 8 January
1300 EST on Fox / 1800 GMT on Sky Sports Xtra
John Fox, Giants defensive coordinator from 1997-2001, returns to the Meadowlands as head coach of the Panthers in what is the most difficult game of the weekend to predict. Carolina, Super Bowl losers just two seasons ago, are forced to make the visit to the frozen north-east because they lost a tie-breaker with Tampa Bay atop the NFC South. New York, meanwhile, won the NFC East title by a game from Washington after controversially playing nine of their 16 games at home as the second match of the season was moved from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.
The Giants' massive gamble on Eli Manning (they traded the equivalent of four draft choices to the Chargers in April 2004) has begun to pay off this season. The youngest of the Manning quarterback dynasty has led the Big Blue to the playoffs after a two-year gap, the time it has taken coach Tom Coughlin to give the side a massive overhaul. Coughlin's term has coincided with the outstanding development of running back Tiki Barber, who has overcome his reputation as a fumble-prone, under-sized back to become the second-best rusher in the league this season, with 1,860 yards.
Carolina had to replace their first-choice running back in mid-season, with DeShaun Foster taking over for the injured Stephen Davis. Quarterback Jake Delhomme has had another dependable-yet-unspectacular season, ranking 12th in the league despite 16 interceptions. Steve Smith leads the league with 1,563 receiving yards, but that disguises the Panthers' over-reliance on him as that total is almost four times that reliable veteran Ricky Proehl, his closest team-mate.
The Giants' undoing could come in the passing game, on both sides of the ball. Manning has enjoyed some sublime spells this year but can be hot-headed under pressure, particularly with tight end Jeremy Shockey (one of his release valves) struggling with an ankle injury. Carolina's defensive front four are one of the best in the league and could teach young Manning a life lesson, unless Barber can help out by distracting them.
The Giants have a pair of awesome defensive ends in youngster Osi Umenyiora and veteran Michael Strahan (yes, the Right Guard golfer) but there defensive backfield is suspect and may not be able to keep a handle on the speedy, physical Smith. There problems are compounded as linebacker Antonio Pierce is on the injury list, which may mean they have to divert extra effort to dealing with the rushing threat. In a low-scoring encounter, Carolina come out on top, say 21-14.
NFLBriefing.com
posted by MG at
4:11 PM
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