N.Y. Giants: Mauled In Carolina By Panthers; 38-0

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: A Bad Situation Just Got Worse.  In Just Three Short Weeks, Big Blue May Have Hit Bottom.

It's 1996 folks - you are there.  That was the last time the Giants started a season with an 0-3 record.  What we Giants fans witnessed Sunday was an embarrassment - a culmination of only three weeks of football, in which the Giants have gotten progressively, if not horrifically worse with each passing week, and each loss becoming more disastrous that the last.

On this Sunday, to say the Giants were overwhelmed is to be kind.  To say they got their asses kicked is still way too inadequate.  Instead, the Giants underwent a complete dismantling in Carolina, getting shut out 38-0 by the now 1-2 Panthers.  The Giants were broken - as in rendered inoperative; busted. All Jerry Reese's horses and all Jerry Reese's men have to figure out a way now, how to put the New York Football Giants back together again.

The Giants were limited to 150 total yards on offense, and just three total yards in the first quarter.  Carolina was playing minus one starting cornerback and starting safety, yet, Eli threw twenty-seven times for only ninety yards, and also rushed for fourteen more.  The backfield only yielded forty-six total yards.  The offense also turned the ball over three more times, for a grand total of thirteen in three weeks.  Eli threw his eighth (NYG 9th) interception of the season, while the Giants fumbled for the fourth time.  Eli Manning was sacked seven times (!) and hit another ten times.  Five sacks came from Carolina's defensive linemen.  It goes without saying then, the offensive line play this afternoon was absolutely deplorable.  They even took points off the board, when Will Beatty negated a touchdown with a holding penalty in the second quarter.  I'll have much, much more on the offensive line collapse later, trust me!

Defensively, the GMen allowed 402 yards of total offense, most notably 194 yards on the ground. Cam Newton only rushed for forty-five of those yards, which means someone else had a big day.  That person would be DeAngelo Williams, who ran for 120 yards, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.  Take away his long run of twenty-seven yards, Williams still rushed for ninety-three yards on twenty-two carries.  Cam Newton threw three TD passes, but was really able to ride on the back of the running game.  In twenty-seven attempts, he threw for 223 yards.  Mathias Kiwanuka managed the only Giants sack, as well as the only other official hit registered of Cam Newton as well.

Even kicker Josh Brown missed his only field goal attempt.  The only redeeming quality about this entire game was the punting of Steve Weatheford.

Coach is gonna be pissed!  Rest assured, a very unpleasant week of practice looms ahead.  But at this point, will it make a difference?  In the mean time, start relying on continued Washington failures, Tony Romo's inevitable implosion, and hope the Eagles don't get away.




Mike.BTB