Giants vs. Panthers: Preview, prediction, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday morning’s Giants-Panthers matchup in Munich, Germany:

Marquee matchup

Giants run defense vs. Panthers RBs Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks

So much for not investing in running backs.

Hubbard has been a rare bright spot for the Panthers with 665 rushing yards (fifth-most in the NFL) and five rushing touchdowns (14th) on 5.0 yards per attempt (10th).

The Panthers just rewarded him this week with a four-year, $33.2 million extension that can rise to $37.2 million.

That marks the sixth-highest total value among all running backs.

And Brooks, whom the Panthers drafted in the second round this year, is set to make his debut Sunday after missing the start of the season recovering from a torn ACL.

The Giants’ run defense has been one of their biggest weaknesses — they’ve given up 1283 yards on the ground (fourth-worst) on 5.2 yards per carry (dead last).

“It’s all about the details, all about the gap discipline,” linebacker Brian Burns said Friday. “Stopping the run is a mindset more so than a scheme or a talent thing. It’s just being disciplined and trusting the guy next to you. So, that’s the main thing to stop the running. Really, for the defensive front, is to get penetration.”

Jared’s pick

Though they have identical records, they have gotten there a bit differently.

The Giants own a minus-63 point differential, which is sixth-worst in the NFL.

The Panthers, on the other hand, have largely not even been competitive with a minus-146 point-differential, by far the league’s worst — the next closest is the Raiders at minus-83.

It’s hard to separate two bottom-feeding teams, but the Panthers’ misery has been in a league of its own.

And they shipped out some of the only talent they had in Johnson and Jonathan Mingo ahead of the trade deadline while the Giants stood pat.

The Giants have zero excuses.

Giants 24, Panthers 17

Four downs

Time to fly Hy’: Darius Slayton is out with a concussion and head coach Brian Daboll said that means second-year receiver Jalin Hyatt will have an elevated role.

The speedy Hyatt, whom the Giants traded up to draft in the third round last year, has just one catch for six yards this year after a quiet rookie season.

He’s played 31 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and has been targeted just eight times.

Welcoming Nabers-hood: Speaking of receivers, this matchup presents a particularly inviting opportunity for stud rookie Malik Nabers.

He has 450 receiving yards when lining up on the outside, which ranks seventh among all receivers, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Panthers rank 26th in the NFL in yards allowed to outside receivers.

Foreign fandom: There usually aren’t big discrepancies in the quantity of fans for each team — rather, it’s more so a collection of general football fans excited for a chance to attend an NFL game.

As a result, crowds are often loud throughout the entirety of these international games rather than when just one team is on offense or defense, which players are used to.

It requires teams to adjust.

“We practiced with noise,” Daboll said on Friday. “So, we used silent count. … You practice for it being extremely loud so the communication process is up to speed where you need it to be when you’re in this type of environment.”

Close the Banks: Second-year cornerback Deonte Banks, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2023, gave up two touchdowns in a nightmarish showing last week against the Commanders.

That came one week after he was benched for poor play and effort issues against the Steelers, which followed public criticism of him by defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson.

Banks likely will be tasked with covering first-round pick Xavier Legette — who now, with Diontae Johnson gone, leads Panthers receivers with 244 receiving yards and four touchdowns.