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Storylines to follow in Week 10 matchup vs. Panthers

WEEK-10-STORYLINES

The New York Giants (2-7) will fly overseas to take on the Carolina Panthers (2-7) at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

While the Panthers were able to snap a five-game losing streak in their win over the Saints this past Sunday, the Giants fell to the Commanders for their fourth consecutive loss.

The Giants will look to flip this recent trend when they travel to Germany for their fourth game all-time in the NFL International Series. All three of their previous international games took place in London, with the Giants earning a 3-0 record in those games.

Following the trip, both teams will have some time to rest as they enter their Week 11 byes.

Here are five storylines to follow heading into the Week 10 matchup.

Giants look to enter bye on high note

The midway point of the 2024 season is now in the rearview mirror. Heading into Week 10, the Giants are not where they wanted to be at the start of the season with their 2-7 record. Despite what the record shows, five of the team's seven losses were one-possession games late in the fourth quarter, which highlights the fight that this team has shown for most of the season.

"I think we've got a lot of the right guys that are made of the right DNA," coach Brian Daboll told the media Wednesday afternoon. "Team first players. Again, you're not happy about the results, but you control what you can control, which is the upcoming week. We've got a bunch of guys that do that each and every week."

Through the first nine weeks of the season, the Giants are among the league-leaders in snaps played by rookies. While a big part of this is due to their production on the field, the group of first-year players have also proven to have the right mindset as they get more and more comfortable playing at the NFL level.

"It's important for veterans to have leadership presence, but I'd say our rookies have a lot of leadership in them too," Daboll said. "Again, they're playing a lot of football. They're learning as we go, but they all have the right mindset. I'm pleased with how they act outside the building, inside the building, the work they put in and their skill set. I really enjoy working with these young guys. They're made of the right kind of stuff."

View photos of the Giants' 2024 rookie class in their first NFL season.

Continue to establish the run

It was clear heading into last week's game against the Commanders that the Giants' offensive game plan revolved around establishing the run. Quarterback Daniel Jones attempted just six passes in the first half as the Giants leaned heavily on its rushing attack. Jones, Tyrone Tracy and the rest of the Giants' run game combined for 21 carries for 142 yards in the first half alone, good for an average of 6.8 yards per carry.

Tracy once again finished as the Giants' leading rusher with 66 yards on 16 carries (4.1 avg.). The first-year running back has taken advantage of his opportunity since becoming the team's lead back in Week 5. Over the last five weeks, Tracy has three outings with over 100 total yards of offense, two games with an average of more than 7.0 yards per carry, and has found the end zone twice. Despite totaling just 12 rush attempts through the first four games of the season, Tracy leads all rookies in rushing yards (442) along with runs of 20- and 10-plus yards (four and 11, respectively).

The Panthers have struggled on the defensive side of the ball this year, especially when it comes to the run game. Carolina has surrendered 1,434 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground this season, both of which rank as the most in the league. Three of their last four opponents have rushed for more than 195 yards, and only one team has totaled less than 100 rushing yards against the Panthers this season.

Get the pass rush back on track

For the first time all season, the Giants' defense was held without a sack in last week's loss to the Commanders. Nevertheless, the Giants still lead the NFL with their 35 sacks on the season, four more than any other team, while their 63 quarterback hits rank fourth and sit just three behind the Ravens for the league-lead.

The Giants have registered a 35.0 percent pressure rate on the season, according to Next Gen Stats, which is the 10th in the NFL. Their 44.2 percent pressure rate when blitzing comes in at No. 11. However, the unit's 35.7 percent pressure to sack conversion rate leads all teams. Additionally, the Giants have recorded a sack on a league-leading 12.5 percent of opponents' drop-backs.

Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence leads the team, and ranks second among all NFL defenders, with his nine sacks on the year. He also ranks third among defensive tackles with 28 pressures, according to NGS. The most impressive part about Lawrence's dominance this season is the fact that he's been double-teamed on a league-high 64.6 percent of his pass rushes. In fact, half of his pressures this season have come when double-teamed.

While Lawrence leads the team in sacks, outside linebacker Brian Burns leads the team with 35 pressures, including 17 quick pressures. The former Carolina Panther was held without a pressure this past Sunday for just the second time in his career. This comes after the 26-year-old picked up a sack in four consecutive games. Burns has lined up on both ends of the line at almost an equal rate this season, so he's likely to see both Panthers tackles on Sunday. Starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu missed last week's game and his status for Week 10 remains in doubt. Backup tackle Brady Christensen played all 50 snaps at LT last week and allowed four pressures on 29 pass blocks (13.8 percent). On the other side of the line, Taylor Moton has allowed 14 pressures on 238 pass block snaps at right tackle (5.9 percent).

"He's been a good addition for us," Daboll said about Burns. "Good leadership, good player for us. Glad we got him."

Daboll added, "He's a difficult guy to block, good pass rusher and then not knowing the player, called some guys that have coached him in the past when we got him, I was excited we got him."

View rare photos of the history between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.