The NFL's international party rolls onto Munich, Germany this weekend. While Sunday's game doesn't feature two of the best teams in the NFL, it is a contest that serves up many intriguing storylines and a lot of jeopardy for a lot of participants.
And as we know, the game is almost a back-drop to a party and a celebration that will go on from early in the morning until late in the night in Munich.
Here are five storylines I will be looking at in Germany this weekend...
When I look at this game I see two teams that are going to be led by coaches feeling the pressure. Brian Daboll and the New York Giants have a record of 2-7; Daboll is proven head coach in the NFL and was Coach of the Year in 2022 but has just not got enough out of his offense in recent times and you wonder what the future holds for him.
You have to feel the same way about the Carolina Panthers. Also 2-7, led by a first-year head coach in Dave Canales, the question for whom is whether he will get time to build. His owner, David Tepper, has an itchy trigger finger and has made three firings already, including Matt Rhule, Ron Rivera and Frank Reich. This is not necessarily the week where their NFL careers end, but a loss in Germany will heap pressure on both coaches.
There are question marks over the quarterbacks that will be in this game as well: Daniel Jones for the New York Giants, and if it is Bryce Young for the Carolina Panthers he has half a season to save his NFL career. Jones showed some good moments last week against the Washington Commanders, but the fact that his first touchdown pass at MetLife Stadium came 672 days after his last at home shows the kind of struggles he has had.
Bryce Young was the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, struggled as a rookie while CJ Stroud soared in Houston - that didn't help his case - before being sent to the bench for Andy Dalton and is now back. I think it makes sense to play him because the Panthers need to find out if Bryce Young can play the guitar at the NFL level. If not, then they can move on in 2025.
I'm excited to see some young stars in action in Munich, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Starting with Malik Nabers, the wide receiver for the Giants. He has accounted for close to 30 per cent of their offensive yards this season, that is third-most in the NFL. He's explosive and I think he's the best wide receiver we have seen in New York since Odell Beckham Jr. And on the ground he is supported by fifth-round draft pick Tyrone Tracy, who has averaged five yards per carry and really had a breakout game against the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weeks ago. When you look at the Giants and their offensive struggles, yes it hasn't been pretty but they have two young players that they can build around. I am keen to see Nabers and Tracy in action in Munich.
And for the Panthers, there is the continued progression of Xavier Legette, who has scored a couple of touchdowns over the last couple of weeks. He is big, strong, physical and looks like a receiver they can depend on over the next four or five years. They definitely need that.
It is going to be fun to watch this Giants defense take on Bryce Young and the Panthers, because I think this is the strength of New York. Their pass rush has a league-leading 35 sacks this season, led by Dexter Lawrence with nine from nose tackle. He moves so explosively for a big man and is going to be a problem for Young.
I think these Giants have a history of outstanding pass rushers, including the great Osi Umenyiora - who is going to be joining us in the studio on Sunday - and I think this continues, led by Lawrence and with Brian Burns coming off the edge as well. That's where it starts for me for the Giants.
When I think about this game in Munich, I think about the teams and the players I will watch. But I think just as much about the atmosphere and the songs we will hear being sung in the Allianz Arena, the celebration of international American football that will be enjoyed by the German fans and fans that have travelled all across Europe.
It's the last of the international games this season as we flip to the business end of the campaign with Thanksgiving coming up, Christmas, the playoffs. We kind of say goodbye to the international games with a party in Germany, so I think it will be a really fun night. Because I covered so many NFL Europe games in Germany, right from the first one I went to in 1992 on the road with the London Monarchs, I get kind of romantic about games in Germany. It's going to be a special afternoon and evening in Munich.
Watch the Giants face the Panthers in Munich, Germany live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday from 1.30pm
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