Panthers vs. Giants Odds, Spread, Preview: NFL Week 2 Predictions

Panthers vs. Giants Week 2 matchup preview and current betting lines

In many ways, the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants had the same performance in Week 1. Both offenses struggled before hitting a pair of plays that gained at least 50 yards. Both teams trailed by 13 points in the second half before their embattled quarterbacks shook off a turnover and rallied the team to a lead with just over a minute left.

But in the end, the Panthers lost to Cleveland after a 58-yard field goal from a rookie kicker was good in the final seconds. The Giants beat the Titans after veteran kicker Randy Bullock was wide left on a 47-yard field goal at the buzzer.

Two swings of the leg producing very different outcomes as it could just as easily be the Panthers at 1-0 and the Giants at 0-1. But new Giants coach Brian Daboll has already won his first game after trailing in the fourth quarter while Carolina coach Matt Rhule is now 0-14 when his team has the ball in a one-score game in the fourth quarter or overtime.

The NFL Week 2 odds favor the Giants as a slight 2-point home favorite in this matchup, so it could be another close finish for teams that have struggled mightily in such games.

Players to watch in the Panthers vs. Giants game

Carolina Panthers

Brian Burns: Carolina’s top pass rusher was held without a sack or hit on the quarterback in Week 1. He did get nailed for a roughing the passer penalty to start Cleveland’s game-winning drive. Burns needs to deliver against a quarterback in Daniel Jones who is known for coughing up the football.

New York Giants

Kadarius Toney: What exactly is the plan for New York’s 2021 first-round wide receiver? Toney played just seven offensive snaps against the Titans, had two runs for 23 yards, and zero pass targets. With Kenny Golladay struggling to catch on in New York, the Giants need to find a better role for Toney.

Our Best NFL Bets for the Panthers vs. Giants game

We have two NFL Week 2 predictions we really like for this game as the Giants look for their first winning streak in almost two years.

Panthers vs. Giants Point Spread Pick: Giants -2 (-110)

The Panthers vs. Giants spread opened with the Giants as a 2.5-point home favorite. It has come down to Giants -2 at many top-rated sportsbooks.

There were definitely some things to like in Daboll’s debut game for the Giants. Daniel Jones completed over 80% of his passes for the first time in his career, and he led just the third fourth-quarter comeback of his career. Saquon Barkley’s 164 rushing yards were the third most in a game in his career.

Daboll was also aggressive in going for the late two-point conversion to take a 21-20 lead. Meanwhile, Matt Rhule continues to lose games over and over in the same fashion in Carolina:

• 0-14 in game-winning drive opportunities
• 1-24 when allowing 17 or more points
• 0-22 when allowing more than 21 points
• 2-23 when not leading by at least 7 points at halftime
• 3-24 when not leading by double digits at halftime

Rhule basically has no winning game script except one where the Panthers lead very early and dominate the game on defense. The Giants of old would be a fine candidate for this to work against, but let’s give Daboll some credit and count on him to deliver a win at home for the Giants to take a surprising 2-0 start for our NFL bet of the week.

Remember to read our NFL picks page for more betting information.

Panthers vs. Giants Total: Over 43.5 (-110)

The Panthers vs. Giants odds set the total at 43.5 points. The over is 8-5 for Rhule’s Panthers as a road underdog since 2020. This is only the fourth time the Giants are favored in a game since 2020, but maybe things are changing under Daboll.

Surprisingly enough, the Panthers and Giants were the only teams in Week 1 to have multiple offensive plays gain at least 50 yards. Don’t count on that to happen again, but with some explosive running backs and deep threats at receiver, it does not seem like asking for much to get a 24-21 game out of these teams after what they did last week.

These have not been reliable offenses over the years, but Mayfield is an improvement over Sam Darnold, and Daboll is looking to make something out of Jones and Barkley. I like the over to hit in this one but do expect it to be close to the final line. Maybe pushed over by a final field goal this week.