The Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants meet Friday in NFL preseason action from MetLife Stadium. Both teams have one exhibition game in the books so far. The Panthers took a blowout loss to the Jets over the weekend, while the Giants fell by five to the Lions in their first outing. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Carolina Panthers 

The Panthers had a pretty disappointing campaign last season, finishing 7-10 overall for a second-place finish in the NFC South. Carolina did get better as the year wore on (4-2 in the last six games) but still missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season. 

Carolina got back onto the field in preseason Week 1 versus the Jets. After falling behind 13-0 by halftime, the Panthers ended up losing 27-0 in a rough outcome. QB Matt Corral finished with 126 yards and a pick, while Spencer Brown was the team’s leading rusher on 34 yards from eight carries. Carolina was out-gained on offense 333-165 and had just 10 first downs. 

New York Giants

Over on the Giants’ side, they’re hoping for a return to the playoffs this year after a 9-7-1 run in 2022 and a third-place finish in the NFC East. The Giants earned a Wild Card slot with that effort and had a winning record for the first time since 2016. New York would beat the Vikings in the Wild Card Game 31-24 but fell to the Eagles 38-7 in the Divisional Playoffs. 

New York led the Lions 13-3 at halftime in their first preseason game of the year. The Giants were outscored 18-3 in the second however, and fell 21-16. Tommy Devito threw for 155 yards, one score and one interception. David Sills had two catches for 36 yards to lead the receivers and Joshua Corbin rushed for 40 yards on three totes. 

The Panthers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven versus the NFC and 6-2 ATS in their last eight overall. The over is 4-1 in Carolina’s last five overall. 

Meanwhile, the Giants are 5-1 ATS in their last six overall and 5-1 ATS in their last six on turf. New York is 4-1 ATS in their last five versus the NFC. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m going to stay with the Giants. It’s tough getting a feel for preseason games—especially early on—but it goes without saying that both teams could use a much better showing in this second week. New York gained a tepid 216 yards on offense (135 passing), had just 13 first downs to the Lions’ 19 and went just 2-of-15 on third- and fourth-down attempts. Carolina didn’t fare much better against the Jets defense (even the backups) with a 3-for-13 rate on third and fourth downs alongside a pair of turnovers. We should see a little more action from the key players in this one, and I think New York will get out in front well enough to post a victory in this one.