New York @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2012 ) N.Y. Giants 36, Carolina 7

The New York Giants' hopes of becoming the first team to play in the Super Bowl on their home field might be dependent on Sunday's road trip to face the Carolina Panthers. That's because no team has ever started 0-3 and reached the Super Bowl - a fate both teams will try to avoid - and only three teams have made the playoffs after losing their first three games, most recently the 1998 Buffalo Bills. The Giants have won the past two meetings, including a 36-7 rout last season at Carolina.

The Panthers find themselves in an 0-2 hole after losing their first two games by a combined six points, including a 24-23 defeat against Buffalo last week. New York's 0-2 start can be attributed to its minus-8 turnover margin and its inability to get anything going on the ground, having managed a total of 73 rushing yards and an average of 2.2 yards per attempt. "I believe we've got a lot of work to do to get there, obviously, but (balance is) something that we have to have," Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters. "That's critical to the ability to be in position where we can at least hold the defense at bay in terms of what we're going to do."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Panthers -1. O/U: 45

ABOUT THE GIANTS (0-2): New York's 10 turnovers - seven of which have been Eli Manning interceptions - are a major cause for concern and have put the defense in a tough spot. The offense has been effective at moving the ball, mostly through the air, and ranks fifth in the league in total yards, but the ground game has to come along and the Giants need to hang onto the ball. The biggest positive for New York coming out of the first two weeks is the team's overall health, with tackle David Diehl (thumb) the only key player on the injured list.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (0-2): The Panthers have been balanced on offense but they've been far from explosive, ranking 27th in the league with 280.5 total yards per game. Carolina's biggest concern has to be a banged-up secondary, though, as safety Charles Godfrey (Achilles) was placed on injured reserve and safety Quintin Mikell (ankle) and cornerbacks D.J. Moore (knee), Josh Norman (thigh) and Josh Thomas (concussion) are banged up - though Norman and Thomas returned to practice Thursday. The thin unit was unable to stop Buffalo and rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel down the stretch last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Manning has started 137 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL, and the Giants are 21-4 when he starts and has a rating of 110 or better.

2. The Panthers are 17-4 when RB DeAngelo Williams has at least 18 carries.

3. Giants WR Victor Cruz has totaled 118 receiving yards in each of the first two games and has 14 100-yard games in 34 career regular-season contests.

PREDICTION: Giants 27, Panthers 23