Panthers vs Giants Predictions: NFL Betting Week 1 Odds

Two teams with NFC playoff aspirations will meet in the first ever regular season NFL betting game at the new Meadowlands Stadium as the New York Giants will host the Carolina Panthers in week 1. Kick-off on Sunday is set for 1:05pm EST and the game can be seen on FOX. Online sportsbooks have opened with the Giants as a 7-point favorite in NFL predictions and an over/under of 41. Eli Manning looks to be in fine form after an ugly head injury in the preseason opener that required 12 stitches. Manning passed for 7-9 and 91 yards in the preseason final last week as the Giants defeated the Patriots 20-17 heading into NFL week 1 odds. “It was good to end the preseason on a good note,” said Manning.

The key to the Giants season will be defense as new coordinator Perry Fewell has brought in a more aggressive approach after Big Blue finished an embarrassing 30th in NFL odds for points allowed in 2009. Fewell’s new defense will feature an attack strategy that is based on forcing errors and turnovers. The Panthers begin a new era without long time quarterback Jake Delhomme and have looked sharp on defense in the preseason. The offense has been another matter, however, as quarterbacks Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen struggled to ignite the passing game.

The Panthers did not generate a single offensive TD in preseason. “It’s tough from a statistics standpoint, but we know as an offense we can score points,” said Carolina running back Mike Goodson. The Panthers have covered 4 out of their last 6 head to head meetings in NFL predictions vs the Giants with 5 out of those 6 games going OVER the betting total. Carolina has covered 6 out of their last 7 games as an underdog while the Giants have covered 4 out of their last 10 as favorites.