The New York Giants have begun the 2022 season with two straight wins after a 19-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Graham Gano drilled a 56-yard field goal in the final minutes of the game to give the Giants the lead. Wink Martindale’s defense held strong and secured the win for Big Blue alongside some late-game heroics by Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.
Main takeaways from Giants vs. Panthers in Week Two
It was an up-and-down game for Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. He completed 22 of his 34 attempts for 176 yards and one touchdown. Jones was sacked three times and was under constant pressure from the Carolina Panthers defense, led by Brian Burns who totaled two sacks. It was Daniel Jones’s mobility that came in clutch in the end, though, as he kept the ball in his own hands and rushed for the game-winning first-down conversion.
Saquon Barkley was held mostly in check today. After an explosive performance in Week One, Barkley totaled 72 yards against the Panthers on 21 carries. The Giants counted on Barkley in the fourth quarter to control the time of possession and he delivered with some crucial first-down gains.
Wink Martindale’s defense played with a bend-don’t-break mentality that earned the team the victory in the end. The Panthers were held to only 275 total yards of offense. Oshane Ximines had another standout performance, recording a sack. Julian Love also stood out, leading the team with 8 total tackles and also producing a late-game sack to secure the win.
Graham Gano was the MVP for the Giants. Gano went 4/4 on field goal attempts including the game-winning 56-yarder. Accounting for 13 of the Giants’ 19 total points, Graham Gano led the team to victory on Sunday.
Leonard Williams left the game with a knee injury and was unable to return. The Giants, already short on pass-rushers with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari injured, will be in dire straights if the injury to Williams is severe. New York hopes to see their starting edge rushers make their season debut next Monday against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys will be without starting quarterback Dak Prescott as the New York Giants look to achieve a 3-0 record.