Before travelling to North Carolina for their game against the Panthers, the New York Giants had to leave three starting players behind due to injuries. It turned out they wouldn't even need them.
Backup running back Andre Brown made his first career start and wide receiver Ramses Barden had a huge night as the Giants defeated the Panthers 36-7 on Thursday.
After rallying the team to a 14-point come back last week against Tampa Bay, Eli Manning propelled the Giants to a win against the Panthers by leading scoring drives on the first four possessions of the game.
Brown, who played his college football at North Carolina State, rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the place of starter Ahmad Bradshaw, who sat out the game with a neck injury. It was only the second time in the past 17 games that the Giants had a 100-yard rusher.
A career backup, Brown had previously been waived by five different teams, including the Panthers, after being drafted in the fourth round in 2009.
"I was walking into the stadium and I have to go by the spot where I parked my car," Brown told the Associated Press. "I felt a little fire, no doubt. I'm so happy to come out here. It really humbled me. It really shows that everything is not guaranteed. You know, I'm just going to ride this wave. Hopefully, it's a long wave."
Brown wasn't the only backup who took advantage of an opportunity.
With wide receiver Hakeem Nicks out with a foot injury, Ramses Barden, a huge target at 6 foot 6, had the best game of his career, catching nine balls for 138 yards in his first career start.
Barden had 123 yards by halftime after never managing to get more than 94 yards in a full season the previous three years.
"At this level, you never know when you're going to get an opportunity, you've got to be prepared for it," Manning said. "Andre Brown is a great example. He's a guy we drafted, he bounced around, and we brought him back. He was on the bubble to make the team, and here you go. Ahmad (Bradshaw) gets hurt, and he ran great, he pass protected.
Manning set the tone for the game, leading the Giants on an 80-yard opening touchdown drive that resulted in a 14-yard touchdown to tight end Martellus Bennett.
Bennett became the first Giant ever to score a touchdown in his first three games with the team. Manning passed for 288 yards and touchdown and by the end of the fourth quarter his backup David Carr was in the game.
Manning was stellar when it came to moving the ball down the field. He was 7-9 for 135 yards on passes over ten yards and also added a touchdown.
After taking a 20-0 lead in the first quarter, the Giants defense needed to just bend and not break. Instead they were stellar.
"We got some licks on (Newton), when he kept the ball, and that's something that was lacking last week," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "You have to be disciplined. You have to have people in the right spots, or he'll take full advantage of it."
The team completely shut down Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who rushed 6 yards a week after he ran for a career high 71 yards against the Saints. He threw three interceptions and rushed for a touchdown that cut the score to 23-7, but that was all the Panthers could muster.
"Who wants to supports something that puts on a performance of embarrassment out there, and that's what that was," Newton said. "If I was a fan of the Carolina Panthers I would be holding my head down in shame at the product that was out there."
The Giants were clicking in all phases of the game, including special teams. Kicker Lawrence Tynes converted all five of his field goal kicks on the night.
The Panthers allowed an opening drive touchdown for the third time this season, the most in the NFL. No other team has allowed more than one through two games.
Carolina had issues running the ball and was outgained 125 to 60 on the night. The Giants didn't turn the ball over while Carolina threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles.
Facing the prospect of dropping to 1-2 and heading to play the Eagles next week in Philadelphia, the Giants pulled together and played their best game of the season so far. The team now has ten days to prepare for their next game.
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