New York Giants 21 – Carolina Panthers 19

Daniel Jones – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS 21 – CAROLINA PANTHERS 19…
The New York Giants pretty much got what they wanted out of their second preseason game. The Giants played almost all of their starters, easily coasted to a 21-3 halftime lead, and seem to have finished the game with no new injuries of note. New York survived a couple of 4th quarter touchdowns by Carolina to win 21-19 at MetLife Stadium on Friday night.

Running back Saquon Barkley was a healthy scratch and the Giants kept out a sizable number of players who are still recovering from injuries, but most of the starters played and played well.

The Giants received the ball to start the game. Quarterback Daniel Jones was nearly flawless, completing 8-of-9 passes for 69 yards with one drop. He also ran for six yards and completed the possession with a 4-yard touchdown toss to tight end Daniel Bellinger. Fellow tight end Darren Waller caught three passes for 30 yards, including a 12-yard reception on 3rd-and-7.

The Giants’ defense then forced a three-and-out before quarterback Tyrod Taylor came in for Jones. Taylor could not complete his 3rd-and-4 attempt and the Giants also went three-and-out.

Aided by three defensive penalties, the Panthers did gain 62 yards on 15 plays on their second drive, but were pushed back by a sack by outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and a couple of penalties of their own. Carolina settled for a 37-yard field goal to cut the score to 7-3 early in the second quarter.

Carolina’s ensuing kickoff went out-of-bounds, giving the Giants the ball at their own 40-yard line. After Taylor scrambled for a first down on 4th-and-1 near midfield and ran for 16 yards on 3rd-and-9, he connected with wide receiver Jalin Hyatt on a 33-yard deep pass into the end zone for the touchdown. Giants 14 – Panthers 3.

Both teams exchanged punts. With just over two minutes to play before halftime, the Panthers went for it on 4th-and-1 on their own 48-yard line. Defensive lineman Jordon Riley stuffed the rushing attempt for no gain, turning the ball over on downs. Taylor threw 25 yards to wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins. After an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Panthers, running back Eric Gray plowed up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-3.

Both teams had the ball once more in the half, but the score remained 21-3 at the break.

The Panthers received the ball to start the third quarter and proceeded to cut the score to 21-6 with a 53-yard field goal after a 12-play, 40-yard drive. The Giants gained 35 yards on their only possession of the quarter, but quarterback Danny DeVito’s 4th-and-1 pass was defended for an incompletion. This turned the ball over on downs at the Carolina 34-yard line. The Panthers then responded with an 8-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 21-12.

The Giants gained 26 yards on their second drive of the half, but were again halted on a failed 4th-and-1 conversion attempt. Running back Jashaun Corbin lost two yards, giving Carolina the ball back near midfield. Six plays later, the Panthers threw a 20-yard touchdown pass over cornerback Darren Evans on 3rd-and-5. With 6:47 left in the game, the Panthers trailed by only two points, 21-19.

While the Giants did not score on their third possession of the half, they did manage to gain 30 yards and take almost five minutes off of the clock. The Panthers got the ball back just before the 2-minute warning. But they could not gain a yard and cornerback Zyon Gilbert broke up the last 4th-and-10 pass, securing the victory.

The Giants only rushed for 60 yards, with nearly half of those coming from the quarterbacks. Jones finished 8-of-9 for 69 yards and one touchdown. Taylor was 9-of-13 for 90 yards and a touchdown. DeVito was 9-of-11 for 88 yards. Hyatt led the team with four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, but Waller, wideout Parris Campbell, and Corbin each had three catches.

Thibodeaux and outside linebacker Tomon Fox each had sacks. Safety Dane Belton was credited with two tackles for losses. Inside linebacker Bobby Okereke and safety Gervarrius Owens each had seven tackles. Inside linebacker Carter Coughlin was credited with two pass defenses.

Video highlights are available on YouTube.

INJURY REPORT…
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (ACL) and CB Aaron Robinson (ACL) remain on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.

RB Gary Brightwell (unknown), WR Cole Beasley (leg), WR Collin Johnson (knee), TE Tommy Sweeney (unknown), OL Tyre Phillips (unknown), OL Marcus McKethan (knee), DL A’Shawn Robinson (knee), DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches (groin), DL D.J. Davidson (knee), DL Ryder Anderson (triceps), LB Cam Brown (unknown), CB Rodarius Williams (unknown), and S Nick McCloud (unknown) did not play.

RB Saquon Barkley was a healthy scratch. The Giants reported no injuries from the game.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Brian Daboll and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

• Head Coach Brian Daboll (Video)
• QB Daniel Jones (Video)
• RB Eric Gray (Video)
• WR Jalin Hyatt (Video)
• TE Darren Waller (Video)

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Brian Daboll will address the media by Zoom on Saturday.