NEW YORK – FINAL SCORE: Giants 31 Panthers 18.

The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers met at New Meadowlands stadium to christen the new house and exact some revenge on the pesky boys from Carolina. Both teams did not disappoint because this was a very competitive game. The Panthers were leading 16-14 at halftime and both teams never stopped fighting. The second half belonged to the Giants as they dominated in most areas to run the score up to a 31-18 lead and the win. This is a great way to start the season.

This was a game the Giants absolutely had to win for themselves and the fans. Deep inside every Giants fan, they seek revenge for the games lost to the Panthers over the past five years. The defense certainly looked a whole lot different from the one we saw in 2009. Most notably, in the secondary. The Big Blue D gave up a few big plays but managed to oppress the Panthers offense enough to allow Easy Eli an opportunity to win the game. The special teams still need a lot of work after an atrocious performance. If they are going to be successful in 2010, they will need to sort this out and quickly.

The game was sloppy and I did not like all of the penalties against Big Blue. You cannot give away that many yards and not have it bite you at some point in the game. There were also way too many turnovers in this game, both teams combined for nine turnovers. Still, the Giants start the 2010 NFL season at 1-0.

Let’s take a look at some of my game notes and please feel free to leave a comment below.

– QB Eli Manning played a very good game despite getting almost no help from his WR’s. Manning threw for 3 TD’s 3 INT’s 263 yards.

– Too many dropped and tipped balls by the Giants WR’s, this was the theme for this game. All three of Eli Manning’s INT’s were from tipped balls.

– TE Kevin Boss left the game in the first quarter with a concussion and neck injury. He did not return to the game.

– LB Chase Blackburn was helped off the field in the second quarter with a sprained knee. He did not return to the game.

– DE Mathias Kiwanuka (2 sacks today) is playing like a man possessed this year. He is playing his best football right now, sit back and enjoy it.

– The Giants were penalized way too many times (9/95 yards), for way too many yards in this game.

– The Giants turned the ball over four times in this game. This is not acceptable and it’s amazing the Giants won the game.

– The Giants won the Time of Possession battle with a time of 34:39.

– WR Hakeem Nicks explodes for 3 TD’s and 75 yards, he easily gets my game ball. This was a breakout game for Nicks in week one.

– The Giants running game was non-existent against the Panthers until the fourth quarter. This has become an area of concern.

– The Giants defense played a very good game despite giving up some big plays. the G-Men finished with 4 sacks, 3 INT’s and 2 Forced fumbles.

– Rookie punter Matt Dodge had another shaky performance (including a blocked punt in the fourth quarter). He will need to be more consistent to remain on the team.

– Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is very involved with his players on the sidelines and gives off a lot of good energy to the players.

– DE Justin Tuck ran out of the tunnel with a Giants firmans helmet on, he ended the game the same way.

– CB Aaron Ross did not play in todays game.

– Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin looked like a rocket about to take off when the team headed inside for halftime, down 16-14.

– The special teams had a below average performance and Coach Tom Quinn will need to get his guys on the same page soon.

– New York Giants legend George Martin, announces he will hold 2nd annual Journey for 9/11 walk on October 17, 2010.

– Kicker Lawrence Tynes had a good game making all of his FG’s and extra point attempts.

– WR Mario Manningham had a very good game with 4 catches for 85 yards. He has been making some spectacular catches for Big Blue since last season.

– RB Ahmad Bradshaw had a poor game until the fourth quarter where he exploded for the majority of his 76 yards and a TD.

– RB Brandon Jacobs had a mediocre game (44 yards on 12 carries), even by his own standards I’m sure. Most notably, he couldn’t get in during the fourth quarter from the one yard line.

– The Giants closed this game out as a true team. This is something that I haven’t seen since the 2007 team.

– The Giants defense (Osi) knocked Carolina Panthers QB Matt Moore out of the game in the fourth quarter.

– CB Terrell Thomas (1 INT) had a great game despite a missed play or two. He made a crucial INT at the end of the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Giants.

– S Antrel Rolle led all tacklers for the Giants defense and seemed to be around the ball on most plays.

Are you surprised by the outcome of todays game?

RD – nygreporter.com

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