Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants Sun. Sept. 12^th 1pm EST

Heading into the 2010 NFL regular season, the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers will be two struggling franchises trying to get back to prominent status in the NFL.

Even though it was just a few years ago that the Eli Manning and company were crowned Super Bowl champs, the Giants have really struggled to get back to form as of late as their offense and defense have gotten progressively worse with every passing season. Even with these struggles, the online sportsbooks have the Giants as 7 point favorites (-7) in this week 1 matchup with the Panthers.

Obviously, it is no easy task to play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL in the NFC East with the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, but the New York Giants did have a good thing going with one of the best defensive fronts in the league.

Unfortunately, that time has passed and the Giants have been left picking up the pieces as some of their best defensive players have decided to retire.

The Carolina Panthers face a similar situation as this season will mark the beginning of a new era of football in North Carolina as both veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme (Cleveland Browns) and perennial Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers (Chicago Bears) have moved on.

Even though losing Peppers to free agency and releasing Delhomme have been major blows to a team that was once considered a Super Bowl title contender, the Panthers still have one of the best running games in the league and two promising young quarterback in starter Matt Moore and rookie Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame).

Most people may consider the New York Giants to be a better team on paper, but I believe the Panthers will come out on top in Week 1 as they are the better team on both sides of the football in my opinion. If your interested in NFL football betting, the +7 odds you can get with the Panthers can make for a nice payday this weekend.

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