MUNICH (AP) — What happens when a stoppable force meets a movable object?
The New York Giants’ NFL-worst offense takes on the Carolina Panthers’ league-worst defense in Germany on Sunday in a meeting of two 2-7 teams. Which of those teams gets a third win could come down to fixing those issues.
Panthers coach Dave Canales pointed Friday to the defense’s growth through the season as a key factor in last week’s 23-22 win over the New Orleans Saints to snap a five-game losing streak.
“I think there are some specific areas of our football that we’ve been trying to improve. Things that we’ve struggled with and we’ve seen improvement,” Canales said.
“All the way up until last week, the defense getting stops in the red zone, forcing field goals. Where we scored touchdowns, they scored field goals. It came down to that last drive at the end, but that gave us a chance to win.”
The Giants have scored 139 points in nine games, the fewest in the league, while the Panthers have allowed a league-high 293 points this season. The Giants offense has been working hard to improve its touchdown conversion in the red zone, coach Brian Daboll said.
“We need to do a good job down there. Haven’t been as successful as we’d like to be,” he said. “It’s something that we work, I’d say, each and every day on. We get a head start on it early in the week and have to do a good job of executing down there.”
The Giants arrived without wide receiver Darius Slayton, who will miss Sunday’s game because he’s in the concussion protocol following last week’s 27-22 loss to the Washington Commanders. That opens up “more opportunity” for Jalin Hyatt, Daboll said.
It’s a meaningful journey for Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson, who was born in the German city of Frankfurt.
“German was my first language. I didn’t speak fluent English till I was 5. So, to me it’s kind of like who I was before. I always think, ‘Man if I stayed over there, I’d probably be playing soccer right now,’” he said.
Jackson, who plays with the German flag on his helmet, grew up in Alabama and has U.S. nationality. He said he no longer speaks much German, but plans to travel to Germany again in the offseason.
The Giants could opt to elevate another German-born player, tight end Jakob Johnson, from the practice squad. Johnson, who came through the NFL’s International Pathway Program, is in his sixth season in the league.
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