The Giants will fly to Germany for the next installment of the NFL International Series as they take on the Carolina Panthers at Munich's Allianz Arena in Week 10.
The Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak last week when they defeated the New Orleans Saints, 23-22, at home. The Giants head into this week's matchup looking to break a four-game losing streak of their own after they fell to the Washington Commanders, 27-22, at MetLife Stadium.
This will be the Giants' fourth international regular-season game since their first one back in 2007. This will be the franchise's first regular-season game played in Germany, as the Giants' first three international games took place in London, all of which they were the away team. The Giants won all three of those games.
Here are five players to watch in the Week 10 matchup in Munich.
QB Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones is coming off one of his best performances of the season, when he completed a season-high 76.9 percent of his passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions for a passer rating of 119.7 (also his highest of the season). This marked Jones' fourth game this year with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions. The sixth-year quarterback also averaged 7.7 yards per carry, his highest mark of the season, while totaling 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
"He's made a lot of good decisions," coach Brian Daboll told the media Wednesday. "He's improved certain things that we work on. He's got the right mindset. Again, we've said this, he's pretty consistent. He doesn't get too high; he doesn't get too low. He does everything he can do every week to try to play as good as he can play the quarterback position for us."
Jones has an opportunity to make it two consecutive strong outings with a matchup against the Panthers' defense on deck. Carolina's defense ranks 32nd in the league in both points and yards allowed overall. Their pass defense is allowing an average of 232.6 yards per game, the eighth-most in the NFL, while their 18 passing touchdowns surrendered is tied for the fourth-most. In last week's win, the Panthers allowed Saints quarterback Derek Carr to throw for 236 yards and a touchdown for a 92.9 passer rating. Carr was sacked just once, as the Panthers have just 10 total sacks on the year, tied for the second-fewest.
"A good team, good defense," Jones said about the Panthers. "I think they have a good system that's successful across the league. So, we'll have to know what we're up against. It's always about us, it's always about how we execute, how we prepare throughout the week and get ready to play our best on Sunday. So, we obviously have awareness and study what they do, but the emphasis is on us and controlling our preparation."
View photos of the Giants on the practice field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Tracy has taken over as the Giants' lead running back over the last five games. During that span, the rookie running back has 17 or more total touches in four of five games, including a Week 9 performance in which he took 16 carries for 66 yards (4.1 avg.) and added a three-yard reception. Tracy has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in three of those five outings while scoring two touchdowns and forcing 15 missed tackles. This past Sunday, with Devin Singletary healthy, Tracy was on the field for 72 percent of the team's offensive snaps.
"He's continued to make the most of his opportunity," Daboll said about the rookie on Friday. "He's smart. He's got good toughness. He understands the game. Ultimately, he's gone out there and produced on Sunday when we handed him the ball or in pass protection or in the routes. He's done a nice job with that."
Heading into Week 10, the Panthers rank last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 159.3, while they also lead the league with 15 rushing touchdowns surrendered. In six of of their nine games this season, the Panthers have allowed 140 or more yards on the ground, including last week when Saints running back Alvin Kamara carried the ball 29 times for 155 yards (5.3 avg.) and added six receptions for an additional 60 yards.
WR Malik Nabers
For the fifth time in his seven NFL games, Malik Nabers saw double-digit targets in the team's Week 9 loss to the Commanders. The rookie wide receiver was targeted 11 times and finished with nine catches for 59 yards. He now has 55 receptions on the season, which makes him just the second player in NFL history with at least 50 receptions in his first seven career games (Puka Nacua had 58 in his first seven games last year). Since returning from his two-game absence due to a concussion, Nabers has been targeted a team-high 32 times.
As mentioned above, the Panthers' pass defense has struggled for most of this season. However, their top cornerback duo is coming off their best performance of the season. Panthers cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson both allowed zero receptions as the nearest defender in last week's win over the Saints, according to Next Gen Stats. However, on the season, Horn has allowed 17 receptions for 251 yards and five touchdowns as the nearest defender, while Jackson has surrendered 37 receptions for 451 yards and four touchdowns.
View rare photos of the history between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.
DL Dexter Lawrence
After picking up six sacks in a three-game span, Dexter Lawrence went his second straight week without a sack this past Sunday. However, the talented defensive lineman still found a way to make an impact. Lawrence registered six total tackles in the game, his highest tackle total of the season, with all six coming against the run. In fact, according to NGS, the Commanders' run game averaged just 3.5 yards per play when Lawrence was on the field, compared to 7.0 yards per play when he was off the field.
Despite Sunday's outing, Lawrence still leads all defensive tackles, and ranks second overall in the league, with nine sacks on the year. He has had this success as a pass rusher despite facing a league-high 64.6 percent double-team rate. Per NGS, 14 of Lawrence's 28 pressures this year have come when double-teamed, an impressive mark for the sixth-year lineman. The Panthers enter this game having allowed 17 sacks through nine weeks, which is tied for the eighth-fewest. Since he was renamed the starting quarterback two weeks ago, Bryce Young has been sacked just three total times.
S Tyler Nubin
Tyler Nubin has played 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps in eight of the first nine games. In the one outing he did come off the field, it was for just two snaps. This has led to Nubin ranking third on the team in total tackles with 57, trailing only inside linebackers Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden. Thirty-two of those tackles have come against the run, which also rank third on the team behind the two linebackers.
"They have the right mindset," Daboll said Monday about Nubin and fellow rookie Dru Phillips. "They have the right DNA that we look for. And again, you've got to correct some of the things that happened throughout a game and be able to move on to the next play. But have confidence in those young guys, we've got to keep help developing them and keep growing them as the season goes on. When there's good stuff happening and when there's stuff that needs to be improved."
Nubin should make an impact in both the run and pass game. The Panthers have failed to top 95 rushing yards in each of their last three games, but this came after a stretch of four straight games with no fewer than 114 yards on the ground. Veteran Chuba Hubbard leads the team with 133 rush attempts for 665 yards (5.0 avg.), while it appears likely that rookie second-round running back Jonathon Brooks makes his NFL debut this Sunday. In the pass game, Nubin could be matched up with Panthers rookie safety Ja'Tavion Sanders, who is coming off his best NFL game with 87 yards on four receptions. Sanders has caught 24 passes for 245 yards on the season.
View photos from the New York Giants' previous regular-season trips to Europe, where they are 3-0.