The deck is stacked against the New York Giants as they face the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The G-Men need to win the remainder of their games if they want to all but ensure a playoff berth. Standing in their way is a quarterback having the best season of his short career and doing it in style. Cam Newton is a dual-threat quarterback, but his stats through the air have been exemplary this season. To have the best shot at an upset, the Giants must try and limit Newton’s abilities by keeping him in the pocket.

The Giants have had troubles with read-option quarterbacks in the past. Last season, Russell Wilson torched the Giants in a 38-17 loss, where he ran for 107 yards and threw for 172. But this year, facing another dual threat in Tyrod Taylor, the Giants successfully limited his impact on the ground, holding him to just six carries for 15 yards. They held the edge on Taylor and made him and the Buffalo Bills beat the Giants through the air, where they were unsuccessful. That game plan needs to be on New York’s mind when they face the Panthers on Sunday.

The Giants’ defense is well aware of Newton’s abilities and have heaped praise on him all week. Cornerback Prince Amukamara said Friday, “Cam is pretty deadly with the ball in his hands and he’s like a 6-5, 6-6 Adrian Peterson. He’s strong, he’s fast, and he definitely does not run like a quarterback.” The Panthers run the ball more than any other team in the NFL with Cam and Jonathan Stewart. But the Giants caught a break when Stewart was ruled out for Sunday with a foot injury. So it will be Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert who will be carrying the load alongside Newton.

“You have to be disciplined in making him one-dimensional, try to get ahead of Carolina, make him a pocket quarterback, drop back and try to beat us that way,” cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said this week. Even if the Giants stifle the second-ranked rushing attack in the league, they may still have their problems defending Cam through the air. While the Panthers don’t have a traditional No. 1 receiver, they do have tight end Greg Olsen. Olsen is having a Pro Bowl year himself with 65 receptions and nearly 1,000 yards. The Giants don’t have a good history defending the tight end this season and must be wary of his offensive production.

The undefeated Panthers have no signs of slowing as they enter MetLife Stadium on Sunday. They destroyed the Atlanta Falcons last week 38-0. But the Giants have some momentum of their own coming off a close win in Miami and actually keeping a late fourth-quarter lead.

Keeping Cam in the pocket might not be enough. “It’s different than some other athletic quarterbacks that you try and keep in the pocket because Cam can kill you down the field. He’s spectacular,” former head coach Brian Billick said. If the Giants hope to keep the game close, the defense needs to at least roll the dice with Newton in the pocket, and maybe they will have another opportunity in the fourth quarter to keep their lead and come out with an upset win.

Christopher Schwarz is a New York Giants beat writer and NFL Coverage writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter.