Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers can clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a Week 15 victory. (Getty)
Odell Beckham Jr. continues to be pretty darn good at this whole playing football thing and thew New York Giants playoff hopes aren’t quite dead yet. But now, Big Blue is going to face its biggest challenge, squaring off against the still-undefeated Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
Oh, and did we mention the Panthers can clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory?
Yeah, this one might be a little hard for New York to pull off.
So, what will it take for the Giants to stay alive in the NFC East title hunt? And what does Carolina have to do to stay perfect on the season? Check out an entire breakdown of the NFC clash, including the early-week odds for the Week 15 matchup, per OddsShark:
Game Info
Odell Beckham Jr (and his in-bounds feet) have helped keep the New York Giants postseason hopes alive. (Getty)
Line: Carolina -4
Moneyline: Carolina -190, New York +160
Total: 49
What To Watch For
Josh Norman will get the task of covering New York Giants star Odell Beckham on Sunday afternoon. (Getty)
Odell Beckham knows what’s coming. The New York Giants receiver regularly draws opponent’s best defenders and double coverage. Somehow, he manages to make catches anyway, but it might be a particular challenge for Beckham on Sunday afternoon.
The second-year star will, likely, be squaring off against Carolina defensive standout Josh Norman in Week 15. Norman has been one of the top cover corners in the entire NFL last season, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 43.1 passing rating. Last week he held Julio Jones to just four receptions for 33 yards.
That’s not good news for Big Blue.
If Norman can keep Beckham out of the Giants’ offensive scheme, New York’s options are fairly minimal when it comes to trying to put points on the board. Eli Manning boasts a 114.1 passer rating when throwing to Beckham, but a 90.7 when throwing to other receivers. Meanwhile, the Giants ground game is averaging just 3.6 yards a carry and is the second worst group in the league at scoring touchdowns.
In other words, a New York offense without Beckham isn’t much of an offense at all.
