By Michael Stewart @TheTruthNYG
The New York Giants were playing with a winning record for the 1st time since 2016 and faced off against the Carolina Panthers who were looking to go 2-0 for the first time since 2016. The Giants didn’t disappoint their fans in their season opener at MetLife Stadium will a solid and hard fought win 19-16 against the Carolina Panthers. This game wasn’t pretty and often times the Giants looked totally inept offensively. In the end, the Giants prevailed and here are my top 3 reasons why the Giants won:
- Graham Gano Right Leg: Cano accounted for 13 of the Giants 19 points by going 4/4 in field goals with the longest and game winner being 56 yards. Cano reliable right leg was needed as the Giants struggled to move the chains between the 20-yard lines and also failed to execute in the red zone.
- No Give Aways: The Giants offense and specifically Daniel Jones did not turn the ball over, whereas the Carolina Panthers had two turnovers in their first two possessions, which resulted in 6 points for the Giants. Jones was not about to be mistaken for Pat Mahomes with his performance. However, he was efficient enough to help the Giants win their second game of the year by going 22/34 for 176 yards and a touchdown.
- Time of Possession: The Giants over the past several seasons have had trouble winning this category in games, but today they totally dominated the Panthers by holding a 35:57 to 24:03 edge in time of possession. Yards were tough to come by for either team, but the Giants were able to make the big plays needed to sustain their drives and secure the win.
Final Thoughts: The Giants now set sights on their first divisional game as they host the Dallas Cowboys in a prime-time game on Monday night. The Cowboys who have lost quarterback Dak Prescott for the time being with a thumb injury that required surgery are 1-1 after a dramatic win over the Cincinnati Bengals (20-17) on a field goal to end the game. The Cowboys will not be an easy target despite the loss to Dak Prescott as backup Cooper Rush played well enough to move the chains and help put points on the board. Also, the Giants must find a way to keep Micah Parsons from feasting on Daniel Jones. Keep an eye out for my article on the Top 3 reasons after the game between the Giants and Cowboys.