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Streaking Panthers visit Giants in showdown

Dec 16, 2008 - 6:25 PM CAROLINA (11-3) AT NY GIANTS (11-3), 8:15 pm EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The entire NFL has been chasing the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants this season.

The Carolina Panthers have finally caught them, setting up a blockbuster showdown at Giants Stadium on Sunday night.

Riding a three-game winning streak, the Panthers are in position to achieve what appeared unthinkable a couple of weeks ago: to wrest the No. 1 overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs from the Giants.

Carolina (11-3), which has opened a two-game cushion atop the NFC South, has capitalized on back-to-back losses by New York to draw even with the Giants (11-3), who already have clinched the NFC East title.

"They are playing well," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said of the Panthers. "They won a big game last week vs. Tampa. It looks like they won pretty easily vs. Denver, so it seems like they are playing really well right now.

"So we know we have a big test this weekend, but we just have to prepare, have a great week of practice, go in with a game plan, and try to execute it and see if we can get back to playing consistent football."

Oddly enough, while Carolina can capture the top seed overall, it also can miss the playoffs altogether if it loses its final two games.

The Panthers have averaged 34.4 points in their three-game winning streak behind a powerhouse running game featuring the tandem of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart.

Williams rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown in last weekend's 30-10 rout of Denver, giving him 16 touchdowns on the season and 12 scores in his last seven games.

Stewart had nine touchdowns on the season, including three in the past two games, and is a bruising complement to the speedy Williams, who has five 100-yard games in his last seven.

The Panthers are not one-dimensional, though. Jake Delhomme has been hooking up early and often with wide receiver Steve Smith, who had nine receptions for 165 yards and a TD against Denver. It was the fourth consecutive 100-yard game and seventh of the season for Smith.

Although much of Carolina's success is due to a perfect 8-0 home record, the Panthers do seem to be catching the Giants at the right time.

Since the suspension of star wide receiver Plaxico Burress due to an accidental gunshot wound, New York's offense has come to a grinding halt in consecutive losses to division foes Philadelphia and Dallas.

Manning threw two interceptions, was sacked eight times and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time since Week One in last weekend's 20-8 loss to the Cowboys.

"Offensively we just haven't made a play," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "We have not made a play really in a couple of weeks. Obviously we are under a lot of pressure."

The pressure has been intensified by a knee injury to leading rusher Brandon Jacobs, who sat out the game against Dallas and is questionable for the matchup with the Panthers.

"He is a big part, there is no doubt about it," Coughlin said. "We'll see how he feels and how the people in the medical area feel about his progress."