Back on track after knocking off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend, Eli Manning and the New York Giants will be looking to get over the .500 mark on Thursday night this week as they play on the road against the Carolina Panthers. And supporters of the Giants on the NFL betting lines will be looking for their team to provide them with their first 2012 payday.
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Giants bounce back from loss to the Cowboys
The Giants lost 24-17 at home to the rival Cowboys in their opener a couple of weeks ago, but a huge game from Manning at home against the Buccaneers on the weekend gave New York their first victory of the season. Manning went 31 of 51 for 510 passing yards in the 41-34 win over Tampa Bay, with three touchdown passes and three interceptions on the day. Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz each had a TD catch in the contest and combined for 378 receiving yards, while Andre Brown rushed for 71 yards and a score on 13 carries.
That result put New York at 1-1 on the season, although they'd been favored by 7.5 points on the NFL betting lines at Bovada for the game and dropped to 0-2 against the spread so far in 2012. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw had just five carries for 16 yards against the Buccaneers before leaving with a neck injury, and he's out for Thursday night's contest.
Panthers upset the Saints for their first victory
The Panthers were stifled by the Buccaneers in a 16-10 loss in Tampa Bay in their Week 1 contest, but they managed to bounce back last week with a 34-27 upset win over the New Orleans Saints in their home opener. Cam Newton went 14 of 20 for 253 yards passing with one touchdown strike for Carolina in that victory, and then also ran for 71 yards and a score on 13 carries. DeAngelo Williams rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on the day.
Carolina didn't manage to cover the 3-point spread in their Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers, but they paid off on the NFL odds at Bovada as a 3-point underdog against the Saints over the weekend. Running back Jonathan Stewart played through his ankle injury for the Panthers in Week 2, rushing for 51 yards on 11 carries and catching a touchdown pass.
Giants have head-to-head advantage on trends
The Giants and Panthers last met in September 2010, with New York winning easily 31-18 at home as a 6-point favorite on the NFL betting lines at Bovada. That was the Giants' third victory both SU and ATS over the Panthers in their past four meetings dating back to 2006, and each of those New York/Carolina games turned out as OVER results for totals bettors. For Thursday night the Panthers are 1.5-point home underdogs on the Bovada NFL lines.
On the NFL futures heading into Thursday night's game the Giants are back at 11/1 odds to win the NFC Championship Game once again this season, putting them behind each of the 49ers, Packers, Falcons, Eagles, and Bears on that conference list; the Panthers are back at 25/1 odds. Eli Manning and company are also listed in the middle of the pack at 22/1 on the odds to win the Super Bowl this season, while Carolina is a modest longshot at 50/1.
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