New York Giants Official Website

DECEMBER 24, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The Giants will attempt to remain in the thick of the NFC postseason race and win their last-ever regular season game in Giants Stadium when they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Both teams won convincingly in prime time last week. The Giants, 8-6, routed the Redskins in Washington, 45-12. Carolina improved to 6-8 with a 26-7 thrashing of the Minnesota Vikings. This is the second season in a row the Giants have concluded their home schedule vs. the Panthers. On Dec. 21, 2008, the teams met with the top seed in the conference playoffs on the line and the Giants earned a thrilling overtime victory, 34-28. The regular season series is tied, 2-2, and the Panthers lead the postseason series, 1-0.

Offense

The Panthers are one of the NFL's best rushing teams, ranking third in the league with an average of 148.1 yards per game. They are ranked 28th in passing (177.2) and 20th overall (325.3). Carolina is 24th in scoring with an average of 17.9 points a game. Head coach John Fox, the former Giants defensive coordinator, believes in building teams with a strong run game and defense, so the Panthers' attack is as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Longtime quarterback Jake Delhomme was placed on injured reserve Thursday after missing the last three games with a broken right middle finger. When he played, Delhomme threw 18 interceptions and only eight touchdown passes. He has been replaced by third-year pro Matt Moore, whose presence seems to have steadied the Panthers' offense. His passer rating of 88.0 is significantly better than Delhomme's 59.4. Last week, Moore - who was undrafted out of Oregon State -- completed passes to nine different receivers while throwing for 299 yards, three scores and no interceptions. He is a good game manager, adept at spreading the ball around and very accurate on short and intermediate passes. A.J. Feeley, a savvy veteran with good arm strength, is the backup quarterback.

The Panthers have a lethal two-man rushing attack with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Williams has run for 1,117 yards, a 5.2-yard average and seven touchdowns. He hurt his left ankle late in the first quarter of the Minnesota game and did not return. When healthy, Williams is explosive, instinctive and patient and he has the foot quickness to be creative at the line of scrimmage. He's also a productive receiver (third on the team with 29 catches). Stewart has 802 yards, a 4.5-yard average and a team-leading eight rushing touchdowns. He ran for 109 yards last week, the first back to exceed 100 against Minnesota since November 2007 (36 games). Stewart is both powerful and nifty, with the ability to pick and slide at the line until he finds room to burst through. He is particularly good at stiff-arming would-be tacklers.

Rookie Tyrell Sutton is becoming the Panthers' third down back. Claimed off waivers from Green Bay, Sutton is a versatile player who does many things well. He runs with good balance and quickness, he can catch the ball and he's been effective on blitz pickup.

Ten-year veteran Brad Hoover is a physical, blue-collar fullback who is a steady blocker, good short-yardage runner and reliable receiver.

Like the Giants, Carolina's top receiver is named Steve Smith. The volatile veteran is a difference maker who is averaging 15.4 yards a reception and has scored six touchdowns. The four-time Pro Bowler has more catches (60) than the rest of the wide receivers combined. Athletic and explosive, Smith is a very smart route runner who reads coverages well and specializes in the acrobatic catch. Muhsin Muhammad, a 14-year veteran, remains a big, strong possession receiver. He has a big strike zone, can catch the ball in traffic, and he is a strong runner with the ball in his hands. Rookie Charly Martin has emerged as the No. 3 wideout. He is a leaper with good hands who the Panthers like to use as a blocker on running plays. Kenneth Moore is another receiver who blocks aggressively in the run game. Dwayne Jarrett was inactive last week.

Carolina uses all three of its tight ends. Starter Jeff King is a good end-of-the-line blocker who has a knack for finding voids in the defense. He has 23 receptions. Dante Rosario is more of a receiver and has contributed 26 catches and two touchdowns. He is also a competitive blocker. Gary Barnidge is a tough inside receiver who had a 55-yard catch-and-run last week.

The Panthers lost both of their starting tackles, Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah, to season-ending injuries. When Gross went down, Travelle Wharton moved from left guard (where he played in 2008) to left tackle (his 2007 position). He has started all 72 games in which he's played in his career. Wharton is a heavy-bodied blocker with good hands and the movement skills required of a left tackle. On the right side is Geoff Schwartz, who started for the first time last week. He is a massive 6-6 and 330 pounds with long arms and a strong punch. Center Ryan Kalil and right guard Kendrick Vincent are the only linemen to start every game at the same position. Kalil is a smart, athletic and above-average center, while Vincent is a strong, solid guard who has the strength to push around defenders. The new left guard is Mackenzy Bernadeau, a seventh-round draft choice in 2008 from that traditional football power, Bentley College. Bernadeau, however, is extremely talented with strength, quickness and instincts and he has a chance to be an excellent NFL player.

Defense

Carolina is ranked 13th in the NFL in yards allowed at 323.1 a game. The Panthers are fourth against the pass (192.6) but 26th vs. the run (130.4). They are 17th in scoring defense, giving up 20.6 points a game.

The Panthers have had injury issues on the defensive line since the first training camp practice, when valuable tackle Maake Kemoeatu blew out his knee. Three other tackles subsequently joined him on injured reserve: Louis Leonard, Tank Tyler and Corvey Irvin. Linebacker Thomas Davis, the team's second-leading tackler, is out for the season after tearing his right ACL at New Orleans on Nov. 8. Another linebacker, Landon Johnson, is also on IR. Largely because of the injuries, the Panthers have used 14 different starting lineups on defense in their 14 games.

Carolina has one of the NFL's best defensive ends in Julius Peppers, who leads the team with 9.5 sacks, 32 pressures and five forced fumbles. Peppers was the most dominant player on the field in the victory over Minnesota. He is a rare athlete who is an exceptional pass rusher with speed and a variety of moves, plus the strength to anchor himself against the run. Peppers has blocked nine kicks in his career. Left end Tyler Brayton is a hardworking, high-motor player with good straight line speed. He moves to tackle in some sub defenses. Damione Lewis is Carolina's best all-around defensive tackle. A strong, instinctive player, he has started every game. The other tackle is 14-year veteran Hollis Thomas, who was signed on Oct. 1 and whom the Giants know well from his days in Philadelphia. He is a big, powerful inside run stopper. Charles Johnson, Nick Hayden and rookie Everette Brown have all made important contributions as reserves.

Middle linebacker and defensive leader Jon Beason has started every game and leads the team with 143 tackles, including 10 for losses, and two sacks. He also has three interceptions. Beason has speed and lateral quickness and he is constantly throwing his body into the fray. Strongside backer Na'il Diggs is an attacking, physical player. James Anderson took over on the weak side after Davis and Johnson went down. He is a smooth, exceptional athlete who has rapidly improved and is very good in man coverage against backs and tight ends. Backup Dan Connor frequently plays and is instinctive against the run and pass and a hard tackler.

Left cornerback Chris Gamble, a first-round draft choice in 2004, leads the Panthers with four interceptions. He is a very good latch and trail corner who closes quickly and tackles well. On the right side, Richard Marshall has three picks and ranks third on the team with 66 tackles. He plays the nickel back (inside) in the sub defenses. The third corner is rookie Captain Munnerlyn, who is quick in coverage and aggressive vs. the run. Dante Wesley plays at the linebacker level in the dime defense and can cover tight ends.

Free safety Charles Godfrey has good movement skills and is a big hitter who causes fumbles on contact. The second-year pro has steadily improved. Chris Harris is a smart and alert strong safety who breaks quickly and is eager to mix it up vs. the run. Backup Sherrod Martin is a rookie and converted corner with excellent speed and play range. Quinton Teal started the first three games and is strong against the run and quick to insert vs. the pass.

Special Teams

Venerable 19-year veteran John Kasay has made 17 of 22 field goal attempts this season and is 10th in NFL history with 1,709 points. His 37 field goals of at least 50 yards are the third-highest total in history. Weird note about Kasay: he has tried 27 onside kicks in his career, with only one success. Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd is tied for sixth in the league with 19 touchbacks. Punter Jason Baker has a 44.5-yard gross average and a 36.1-yard net average on 66 kicks. Munnerlyn is a quick and explosive punt returner with a 9.6-yard average. Sutton has taken over the kickoff return duties and is averaging 21.6 yards on 14 runbacks.

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