4 wildcards that can propel Panthers to victory at NY Giants in Week 2

Which potential wildcards could propel the Carolina Panthers to a much-needed Week 2 victory against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium?

There is a growing sense of concern enveloping the Carolina Panthers after a morale-sapping loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. It was another case of prolonged problems emerging despite a positive offseason, which means their chance of genuine progress in 2022 is hanging in the balance after just one competitive fixture.

Matt Rhule received more ridicule from the national media and former players for his comments regarding Carolina’s stats over the final 35 minutes. However, this does not detract from what an impressive comeback it was from the Panthers before eventually falling to a late field goal.

Rhule returns to the scene of the crime this weekend versus the New York Giants. And the former Baylor man won’t want a repeat of the embarrassing 25-3 reverse at MetLife Stadium in 2021 if he wants to lessen the pressure surrounding his job status.

The stakes are getting higher by the day. But here are four wildcards that could propel the Panthers to a much-needed win against the Giants.

Wildcard No. 1

Marquan McCall – Carolina Panthers DT

One of the significant issues in Week 1 was stopping the run. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had their way with the Carolina Panthers, so defensive coordinator Phil Snow must make some changes in pursuit of restricting Saquon Barkley this weekend.

Snow didn’t seem overly concerned in his Thursday presser. But this is a complication that keeps coming up and unless a drastic turnaround occurs, Barkley could have a field day in front of his home fans.

Perhaps activating and placing Marquan McCall on the defensive rotation would help. The undrafted free agent enjoyed a phenomenal offseason and is a renowned run stuffer, providing a mammoth presence on the interior that’s incredibly difficult to move off the block.