Can the underdog New York Giants pull off an upset

of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday? Here are six things to watch as the 1-3 Giants try to get their season turned around.Barkley’s touchesComing off a game in which Saquon Barkley ran the ball a season-low 10 times we can likely expect to see a heavy dose of Eli Manning handing the ball to the rookie running back on Sunday. Provided Authentic George Asafo-Adjei Jersey , of course, that the Giants are close enough on the scoreboard for the running game to matter.Barkley is averaging 14 rushing attempts per game, tied for ninth in the league in rushing attempts. In two games, though (Dallas, 11 and New Orleans, 10) the Giants have seemed to get away from the running game too quickly.After coach Pat Shurmur admitted during the week that Barkley should have gotten more carries vs. the Saints, don’t expect the same mistake vs. Carolina. The Giants need more big plays, and handing the ball to Barkley is one way to try and get them. Doing so might also help open up some avenues in the passing game.Big plays in the passing gameThrow ‘em short. Throw ‘em long. Throw ‘em somewhere in between. Doesn’t matter — at least according to coach Pat Shurmur and quarterback Eli Manning. Hit it right and you can generate big plays. Unfortunately for the Giants, they haven’t generated enough thus far. The Giants are 23rd in the league in passing plays of 20 yards or more, with just nine through four games. They are one of only three teams without a passing play of 40 yards or more. Superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the game’s highest paid wide receiver doesn’t have a touchdown and is averaging a career-worst 10.7 yards per catch. Thus far, Beckham has been a highly-paid possession receiver. Or even worse, a decoy.The Giants can talk about picking away at opposing defenses, staying ahead of the chains or on schedule on offense, but this is a team with two of the game’s great play-makers in Beckham and Barkley along with some quality ancillary options. They need to begin to find ways to get those explosive plays in the passing game.Defending the zone read Blake Bortles: 4 carries, 42 yards (a long run of 41 yards)Dak Prescott: 7 carries George Asafo-Adjei Jersey Boys , 45 yards (a long run of 15 yards)Deshaun Watson: 5 carries, 36 yards (a long run of 10 yards)Taysom Hill: 4 carries, 28 yards (a long run of 19 yards)That’s 20 carries for 151 yards, an average of 7.55 yards per pop, by quarterbacks running against the Giants this season.Sunday, the Giants face Cam Newton, who could end his career as the most prolific rushing quarterback of all time. Newton needs 27 yards rushing to surpass Randall Cunningham (4,482) for most rushing yards by a quarterback with a single team. Only Michael Vick (6,109) and Cunningham (4,928) have more rushing yards than Newton (4,456) among quarterbacks.You can bet that the Panthers will use a heavy dose of the zone read, which has bedeviled the Giants all season, and other designed quarterback runs until — and unless — the Giants finally show they can handle it.Defensive coordinator James Bettcher knows what’s coming.“He [Newton] is a very physical, big guy who at times in the zone option scheme, will take the matchup. You will be in the right spot, you’ll have the guy that’s supposed to be on the quarterback on the quarterback Infant George Asafo-Adjei Jersey , and he will take the matchup at times whether that’s just pulling the ball, or maybe that’s giving the ball and taking the matchup,” Bettcher said. “He’s really smart with those kinds of things and they do a nice job putting him in some of those kinds of situations.”The Giants really haven’t successfully defended the zone read yet. Can they figure out a way to do it against perhaps the best quarterback who has ever run it? That’s not fun to think about.Here is part of what Chris wrote about the Carolina offense earlier in the week:Which brings us to McCaffrey Back to more of what Chris wrote earlier in the week:After Newton, the second-year back is clearly Carolina’s most important offensive player. “One thing about him, when I turn the tape on, I see an explosive guy who’s not afraid. He’s shifty, he can do all those things in space, but he’s not afraid to put his foot down, lower his pads, and he’s going to try and run someone over,” Bettcher said. “Those are the kinds of backs that as a defensive coach you have a lot of respect for, that when it’s time to put your pads down and get those tough two yards, this is a guy who’s going to put his pads down and get the tough two yards.”Can Olivier Vernon make an impact?Vernon, who had 6.5 sacks a season ago and has 44 in six NFL seasons, could make his season debut Sunday. The Giants, 30th in the league in sack percentage at 3.65 and facing a prolific running quarterback like Newton George Asafo-Adjei Jersey Draft , could use Vernon’s help.Vernon said this week he wants to be certain he can move well enough not to be a liability. Vernon is the team’s most talented EDGE player. His presence vs. the Panthers would be a huge plus.Oh, those negative playsManning, Shurmur and offensive coordinator Mike Shula all talked during the week about the need for the Giants to eliminate negative plays. That seems obvious, of course. Just how many negative plays have the Giants had on offense? Here’s how many:15 sacks (fourth-most in the league)14 runs for negative yardage (fifth-most)Four passes for negative yardage (that’s unofficial, by my count having gone through every play)Sixteen accepted offensive penaltiesThat is 49 negative plays in 279 potential offensive snaps, including the 16 plays that didn’t count because of penalties. That means that 17.5 percent of the time the Giants have gone backwards. You just can’t overcome that high volume of bad plays, especially when you are running an offense that is trying to minimize risk. Which of these do you like?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015, Week 172019 NFL DraftMock Draft Tracker: Several scenarios evolving for New York GiantsNew,161commentsWhich of these do you like?EDTShareTweetShareShareMock Draft Tracker: Several scenarios evolving for New York GiantsDaniel JonesTrevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsWhat are the New York Giants going to do with their two first-round picks (Nos. 6 & 17) in the 2019 NFL Draft? Will they pull the trigger on an heir for Eli Manning? Bulk up on offensive and defensive hog mollies? Add a wide receiver to replace the one they just sent to the Cleveland Browns?This is Dave Gettleman with the final call here. The guy who said it was “hogwash” that he needed a quarterback a year ago and took running back Saquon Barkley, shredding the naysayers who said positional value dictated that you shouldn’t take a running back at No. 2.This is Gettleman, who says the NFL remains “a big man’s game” and calls the idea that Manning can’t play anymore “a crock.”Then again, this is Gettleman. He has also said he has a dream to get the Giants a franchise quarterback, loves the Kansas City model of having a young draftee learn behind a veteran for a year, and said on WFAN Monday that he would “probably” get a quarterback this year “if all goes according to plan.”So, how do we make sense of all that? Well, today we’re going to punt. We’re going to turn to the mock drafts and see what they think. Our current mock draft tracker below has an even 50 mocks in it. Thirty-one of those (62 percent) are still riding the Dwayne Haskins at No. 6 train. Interestingly George Asafo-Adjei NFL Jersey , though, only two of the seven mock drafts added or updated this week show the Giants taking the Ohio State quarterback at No. 6. I want to highlight a few of the scenarios presented.Scenario 1 — Sticking with HaskinsSB Nation’s Dan Kadar is still riding the Haskins train. Kadar says “the best way to accelerate out of a rebuild is by landing a franchise quarterback.” He also adds that “taking Haskins at No. 6 is infinitely smarter than taking Duke’s Daniel Jones at No. 17.”Kadar has the Giants using the 17th overall pick on Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary.Scenario 2 — QB at No. 17 Bucky Brooks of NFL.com offers that scenario in his newest mock. He selects Gary for the Giants at No. 6 and then goes against Kadar’s advice by selecting Duke’s Jones at 17. Brooks says “Jones could be the perfect successor to Eli Manning based on the Duke product’s pedigree.”Scenario 3 — No first-round QBBenjamin Solak of The Draft Network goes this route. He gives the Giants edge defender Montez Sweat at No. 6 and offensive tackle Cody Ford at 17. In taking Ford, Solak takes a swipe at Gettleman by saying “You can never underestimate bad GMs, and I think Gettleman could really talk himself out of a Round 1 QB -- especially with Cody Ford, the future at RT, ripe and waiting at 17 overall.”Scenario 4 — QB in Round 2Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports also passes on first-round QBs for the Giants. He gives the Giants Sweat at 6 and Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams at 17, then pops on Jones as the quarterback at No. 37.Scenario 5 — Trading for a QBI an intriguing four-round projection, Luke Easterling of Draft Wire thinks a little bit outside the box. Easterling gives the Giants Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams at No. 6 and takes Crimson Tide offensive tackle Jonah Williams at No. 17. Easterling then packages the Giants second-round pick (No. 37) and third-round pick (No. 95) to get the 31st overall pick from the Los Angeles Rams. He uses that to select Jones.I’m not favoring one scenario over another, or really even commenting here. It’s just interesting to see the different ways draft analysts are seeing that things could unfold for the Giants.View the full mock draft tracker below and, of course, let us know which scenario or scenarios intrigues you.2019 Mock Draft TrackerDateMockPick 1 (No. 6)Pick 2 (No. 17)Pick 3 DateMockPick 1 (No. 6)Pick 2 (No. 17)Pick 3