In a battle of 2-7 teams, the Carolina Panthers defeated the New York Giants 20-17 on Sunday in Germany.
The final international game of the 2024 NFL season took place in Munich, with Bryce Young and the Panthers defeating Daniel Jones and the Giants in overtime.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. The Panthers finally have a winning streak
It might not sound like much, but the Panthers winning two straight games is notable.
The last time Carolina won two straight games was in Week 14 of 2022. That second victory, though, came after a bye week. The last time Carolina has won a game in two straight weeks was 2021, when it started that season 3-0.
The Panthers are just 3-7 on the season, and their latest opponets (Saints and Giants) are exactly world-beaters. But this is progress for an organization that hasn't made the postseason since 2017. Young had a clean performance (15 of 25, 126 yards, one touchdown), as he's now matched his win total from his entire rookie season in just five starts this year.
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2. The Daniel Jones era is over
It was another week of the Giants rolling out Daniel Jones at quarterback -- but there likely aren't many of those weeks left.
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The sixth-year signal caller went 22 of 37 for 190 yards in the loss with two interceptions and a rushing score. As he's done so often this season, Jones had a hopeless-looking first half before salvaging a decent statline in a close loss. He led the game-tying drive in the final minutes of regulation, which came moments after a costly red zone interception.
Fans and media have long been calling for Jones to be benched, but head coach Brian Daboll continues to stick with him. Veteran Drew Lock is the Giants' backup, and fan favorite Tommy DeVito is still the third-stringer, but it appears Jones will keep the job moving forward.
With the Giants at 2-8, the rest of this season is likely to be used as a try-out for many players. Who is worth keeping long-term? Who could be traded or cut this offseason? The Giants need answers with the rebuild looming, and finding their next quarterback is the biggest question to be answered. New York is trending toward having a top-five pick in the draft, where it could select any number of prospects.
3. Running backs star, but made critical errors
The running backs on both teams stood out on Sunday -- for better or worse.
While the offenses as a whole struggled, Chuba Hubbard and Tyrone Tracy Jr. carried the load for their teams before troubling turnovers in key moments.
Hubbard had 153 rushing yards and a touchdown, plus four catches for 16 yards. Tracy finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Hubbard had a fumble in the fourth quarter that nearly gave the Giants the game, then dropped a high pass to stop the clock and set up the Giants' game-tying drive. Then there's Tracy, who fumbled on the first play of overtime to give the Panthers field position to easily win. Both players are enjoying strong seasons, but this game will leave them with mixed feelings.
