Putting Pressure on Eli Manning

I touched on it a little bit earlier, but it bears repeating: the Giants do not possess a very good offensive line. Thus, the Panthers’ defensive linemen and linebackers need to get to Eli Manning early and often in order to get him out of rhythm and force him into making errant throws.

Carolina also has some ball-hawks in its secondary, led by rookie cornerback Donte Jackson who is tied for the NFL lead with three interceptions. James Bradberry also seems to be taking that next step toward becoming a shutdown corner, while the recently signed Eric Reid and veteran Mike Adams will probably start at the safety positions.

The Panthers can’t afford to give Manning time to find his talented receivers because that is the Giants’ best chance to defeat them. They also need to keep Saquon Barkley in check on the ground and not allow a repeat of what happened against the Falcons in Week 2.

But putting pressure on Manning is one of the Panthers’ biggest keys to victory. If Carolina is able to get pressure on the two-time Super Bowl winner, they will likely improve to 7-4 all-time against the Giants.