5. Carolina Panthers
The bye week came early for the Panthers this season, as Ron Rivera’s team hopes the extra rest will benefit them on Sunday when they host a team that has struggled to live up to the hype for the most part in the New York Giants.
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After only winning three games all of last season, the Giants were expected to get back to their old ways of being a top contender in the NFC with a healthy Odell Beckham Jr. along with a key addition in Saquon Barkley.
Instead, New York just hasn’t been able to get anything consistent going on offense, and as a result, they currently sit at 1-3 heading into Sunday’s meeting with the Panthers. On paper, there’s no question that Carolina seems to have the upper hand since they seem to have one of the top overall teams in the NFL, but keep in mind they’re not facing the same high level of pressure as New York.
Desperation always seems to kick in at some point when teams expected to contend instead struggle to win games. Carolina better be careful, or New York could very well end up giving them a scare by making this contest closer than originally expected.