Thursday Night Football Preview 9/20/12

Both the Giants and Panthers are coming off important wins over NFC South opponents and take some degree of momentum into Thursday night’s contest in Charlotte. As usual, well look at the matchups from both sides of the ball.

When The Giants Have The Ball
New York will be shorthanded on this short week, with skill position stalwarts Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks out with injuries. That means you’ll be seeing more of Andre Brown in the ground game and Ramses Barden and Martellus Bennett getting targets from Eli Manning. Carolina’s front seven is strong, but they don’t really have anyone to contend with Victor Cruz on the outside. However with Nicks out, the Panthers will surely keying on Cruz throughout the contest.

When The Panthers Have The Ball
With Jonathan Stewart likely out with a toe injury, expect more of the focus (on both sides) to be on Cam Newton. He’ll run the option, the QB draw and likely air it out to Steve Smith. The Giants corners have had trouble with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant of Dallas and Vincent Jackson of Tampa Bay, so expect some downfield throws to Smith. Greg Olson wasn’t utilized much in Carolina’s win over New Orleans on Sunday, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used. The Giants have not been able to get much QB pressure and more consistency will really help the secondary out.

Bottom Line- Preparing for Cam Newton on a short week is a tall task and Carolina should be amped up and ready for a home win. Panthers 27 Giants 24