The New York Giants had a big opening week. They trailed the Tennessee Titans by a 13-0 score at halftime, then came charging back with 21 second half points to eke out a 21-20 win by virtue of a two point conversion in the final seconds.

The Carolina Panthers had a disappointing season opening game as their new quarterback, Baker Mayfield, lost to his old team in front of his new fans. The Cleveland Browns spoiled Mayfield’s home opener with a last second field goal to carry the Browns to a 26-24 victory.

Off those two dramatically different results, the Giants and Panthers meet this Sunday at MetLife Stadium. A year ago, the Panthers got off to a good start with three straight wins to open the season, but four weeks later the Giants pinned the Panthers with their fourth straight loss.

The 2021 Giants had come into that Week Seven meeting with only one regular season win, but the home team underdog dominated the stunned Panthers, 25-3.

With that as the backdrop to Sunday’s showdown in New Jersey, who do you think has the advantage? And, when I say advantage, I am just as interested in the motivational factors in this game than how the offenses and defenses matchup.

In fact, I’m more interested in the motivational factors.

The Giants talent can be respected based on athletic prowess alone. It is not difficult to collect a lot of outstanding talent when drafting early nearly every year for the past two decades. The Panthers are also a team slightly more talented than their headlines. The real advantage in this game is not found in the balanced talent level between the two squads, but rather how that loss last year and the loss last week lines up against a win last year and triumph last Sunday.

In the game of pure need, the Panthers are more focused to avoid two straight losses to open the season. The Giants have visions of getting off to a season start like the Panthers did last season. Problem is, the Giants are running smack into a double-barrel set of motivational factors that strongly favor the visitor in New Jersey.

The practical math suggests the Giants win last season coupled with a victory last week in dramatic fashion, lends strong credence to our contention that the Giants don’t win this one.

And, if the Giants don’t win it, the Panthers do.

Qoxhi Picks: Carolina Panthers (+2) over New York Giants