Giants win over the Panthers 31-18.
Eli Manning was 20-of-30 for 263 yards with 3 TDs and 3 INTs.
Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 76 yards on 20 carries and 1 TD and caught 2 passes for 17 yards.
Brandon Jacobs rushed for 44 yards on 12 carries and caught 2 passes for 21 yards.
Steve Smith caught 5 passes for 43 yards.
Mario Manningham caught 4 passes for 85 yards.
Hakeem Nicks caught 4 passes for 75 yards and 3 TDs.
Travis Beckum caught 2 passes for 11 yards.
Kevin Boss caught 1 pass for 11 yards.
Deon Grant, Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas each had 1 interception.
Mathias Kiwanuka had 2 sacks.
Osi Umenyiora had sack.
Chris Canty and Barry Cofield each shared 1 sack.
Lawrence Tynes kicked a 32 yard field goal.

Game Notes:
"Being at the stadium in preseason was nothing like being there to see the regular season kick off. The stadium is beautiful and this game was for real. No one liked the way the old stadium was closed out, we were all looking forward to a fresh start and we sure got it. The Panthers got the ball first and the Giants stopped them right away but before long our offense was getting us in trouble. Eli Manning's passes seemed high and a reaching out Kevin Boss took a big hit and was carted off the field. Hakeem Nicks tried to pull in his high pass but it bounced off his hands and was intercepted. It was a good thing that our defense bailed us out when Deon Grant intercepted Carolina quarterback Matt Moore in the endzone.
By the time this game was over the fans saw a lot of footballs bouncing around off of receivers hands and into the air with both quarterbacks Eli Manning and Matt Moore ending up with 3 interceptions. I guess you could say that Moore's were worse and more costly, because 3 of them were in the Giants endzone.
Bottom line from this game - The defense played fairly well, especially the front line. Terrell Thomas was a standout in the secondary. On offense, Eli Manning needs to work with his receivers because this isn't a volleyball game. They really need to hang on to the football. Of course I really love receiver Hakeem Nicks with his three touchdown catches (kiss, kiss), and Matt Dodge, well he's still a work in progress with his kicks.

Game Notes:
"It wasn't pretty but it was a first game win to start off the the regular season. The Giants and Panthers combined for 16 penalties and nine turnovers. The Panthers started with field goals and the Giants answered with touchdowns right up until the very end of the first half when they allowed Matt Moore to score with a 19 yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith with less than 10 seconds left.
The offense was sloppy and the defense was inconsistently good and bad, but mostly good today, especially considering how the last game played out between these same two teams. The Panthers probably could have used both quarterback Jake Delhomme and defensive end Julius Peppers but they both are playing elsewhere in the Carolina shakeup that has them going it as the league’s youngest team.
They scored no offensive touchdowns during preseason and managed just one in this game. Earlier Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams had said, "I've told a lot of people we're saving all our touchdowns for the regular season. That's pretty much all I have to say about that." That sounds good, but it didn't play out very well today for them as one per game won't get you very far. So, where will John Fox be coaching next year?"

Notes:
Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks is the first Giant to catch 3 touchdown passes in a game since Plaxico Burress on Sept. 9, 2007 at Dallas.

Giants saw both tight end Kevin Boss (neck/concussion) and special teams captain Chase Blackburn (knee) leave this game.

Sept 26 - Tennessee at Giants
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