NFL Odds: Panthers Aim To Stay Perfect As Favorites Against Giants

USA Today

The Carolina Panthers remain undefeated heading into Week 15 with a flawless 13-0 record. Cam Newton is the frontrunner for the NFL MVP award and seems to have finally shown his potential to be a top-tier quarterback as the undisputed leader of the Panthers.

At this point in the season, Carolina has clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title and a bye in the first-round of the postseason. The Panthers are sitting pretty, but the question remains whether Ron Rivera’s squad can stay perfect in the team’s final regular-season games.

Although not considered a heavyweight in the NFC this season, the New York Giants will pose a threat to the Panthers’ undefeated record this weekend for obvious reasons. Eli Manning’s Giants pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in NFL history back in 2008 ending the perfect season for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

If any team in the league can hand the Panthers their first loss of the season, the Giants are capable and willing to make that happen with their playoff hopes on the line. New York may ultimately finish their 2015 regular-season campaign with a losing record, but still have a shot at winning the NFC East and clinching a playoff spot as a result.

Coming into this Week 15 matchup, the Panthers will be favored to beat the Giants, but not by as much as people would think. According to Sportsbook.ag, New York is only +4 underdogs meaning the oddsmakers may be trying to avoid another epic upset with the Eli-led Giants proving the doubters wrong yet again.

The one disadvantage for the Panthers along with playing on the road at MetLife Stadium is being without running back Jonathan Stewart. The veteran back went down with a sprained foot in the win over the Atlanta Falcons last week. Although Stewart being out hurts Carolina’s offense, Newton and company haven’t missed a beat dealing with injuries on the offensive side of the football this season.

Despite the fact the Giants have been in this situation before with Manning under center, Carolina should be able to get the win on the road with relative ease. The Panthers have shown no signs of slowing down, and the Giants have struggled all season long to play consistently well.