This was a slow and deceptive win for the Giants, who run their record to 2-1. The defense played solid in the first half and allowed the Giants' offensive live to methodically dominate time of possession against the high-powered offense of Carolina. Even without starters Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw, Eli Manning put up more than enough points in the first half so that the outcome was never in doubt. Also, Cam Newton may be seeing Jason Pierre-Paul tip passes in his nightmares tonight. What a defensive beast he is.
The Needle That Must Be Threaded: After Eli Manning put up 510 yards against the Bucs last Sunday, you could've guessed that Tom Coughlin would try to win this one through the air. That became perfectly clear in the opening drive of the game, when Manning lofted one just beyond the reach of the Carolina secondary to get New York on the board less than four minutes into the game. The rout was officially on.
Always Be Pickin': Just as Cam Newton and the Carolina offense was looking to claim some semblance of offensive competence, rookie Jayron Hosley took advantage of this Brandon LaFell tip to haul in his first career pick on a superb bit of athleticism. The Giants went into the locker room with a 20-0 halftime lead.
Meet The Second Half, Same As The First: Whatever second-half plans Ron Rivera had for rectifying Carolina's woes were quickly quashed, as Joe Adams let the opening kickoff get doinked out of his cradled arms. The Giants only managed a field goal out of the turnover, but the game's outcome was certainly no longer in doubt, making for a grueling second half that seemed interminable at times.