The NY Giants got back in the win column Sunday, 25-3 over the Carolina Panthers, as Daniel Jones stepped up and the defense slammed the door
After suffering back to back blowout losses to the Cowboys, and Rams, the NY Giants needed to bounce back against the Panthers … And bounce back, they did.
With the offense struggling mightily in the first half, it was unsure what direction the game would go. However, after a huge drive in the third quarter the Giants were able to finally score a touchdown, and begin to pull away.
Daniel Jones had one of his finest performances of the season, and the NY Giants logged six quarterback sacks, as the driving forces behind a 25-3 upset win at MetLife Stadium.
Here are the players that deserve game balls after this weeks upset victory over the Panthers:
Honorable Mentions:
NY Giants WR Dante Pettis:
This was only Dante Pettis’s second full game as a Giant, and he did not disappoint.
Pettis ended the game with five receptions for 39 yards and a huge TD in the third quarter to help the NY Giants pull away. Pettis also had a pass to Daniel Jones in the same drive that helped give the Giants the momentum they needed to come out with a victory.
NY Giants CB James Bradberry:
Bradberry finally looked somewhat like his old self this game after having a rough start to the year. Tallying 2 combined tackles, 1 deflected pass, and 1 interception. While I cannot find his exact coverage stats right now, his great play was apparent, helping the NY Giants secondary hold the Panthers receiving core to only 144 yards.
NY Giants QB Daniel Jones
This was without a doubt one of Daniel Jones’s finest games as a NY Giant.
Jones finished the game completing 23 out of his 33 passes for 203 yards and a TD. He also had eight rushing attempts for 28 yards and 1 reception for 16 yards. Making almost no mistakes he spent almost the entire game carving up the Panthers defense.
The fact that Jones was able to be this successful while having almost no time to throw makes this game even more special. With the offense struggling to do much in the first half due to poor play from the offensive line it seemed as if the NY Giants would have to rely on the defense to help continue to put up points. Thanks to Jones, that was not the case.
It started with 7:22 left in the third quarter, after back to back possessions ending in a punt the Giants were looking to score and take a hold of the game.
After back-to-back plays that did not gain many yards the Giants were left with 3rd down and 13. On this play Jones rolled out and delivered a beautiful pass to Devontae Booker for the first down.
On the very next play, what is probably the most creative play we’ve seen out of the NY Giants in years happened. Jones handed it off to Booker, who handed it off to Dante Pettis. Pettis then delivered a pass to Jones who then rose up for a beautiful one handed catch that left fans speechless.
After this play the NY Giants had all the momentum. They finally capitalized when Jones threw a beautiful 5 yard pass to Dante Pettis who bodied his way into the end zone.
The NY Giants rode this momentum for the rest of the game and came out with a victory thanks to Daniel Jones’s heroics when the team needed him most.
Leonard Williams:
After a tremendous game against the Rams last week, it seemed like Leonard Williams was set to have another great game this week against the Panthers.
Williams was borderline unstoppable, tallying six total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three QB hits.
However, something that won’t pop up on the stat sheet is when after the Giants failed to score a touchdown on the Panthers one-yard line, the Panthers regained the ball in that territory.
After back to back plays that went nowhere the Panthers had to pass the ball. During this play Leonard Williams exploded off the line and hit Panthers QB Sam Darnold. This caused him to throw the ball into the ground, after an intentional grounding penalty the NY Giants were rewarded with a safety.
Williams played a huge part in the Giants success on the defensive side of the ball. Wreaking havoc on any offensive lineman that stood in his way.
NY Giants EDGE Azeez Ojulari:
This was without a doubt the best game of Azeez Ojulari’s young career.
Ojulari absolutely dominated the Panthers offense. Tallying 5 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and 4 QB hits. He was simply unstoppable out there.
When the NY Giants drafted Ojulari out of Georgia in the second-round many fans were excited. The NY Giants were in need of a top tier pass rusher and it seems they might have found one.
Azeez Ojulari leads all rookies with 5.5 sacks on the season, and is looking to be a key part of the NY Giants future.
Ojulari made his presence known on the same play that led to a NY Giants safety, assisting Williams in putting the pressure on Sam Darnold. From there, it only went up for the rookie.
Ojulari turned it up in the 4th quarter to help the NY Giants seal the game, getting two of his 2.5 sacks within the final five minutes of the game. This included a huge sack to make it 4th and 16 at the Panthers own 19, where they proceeded to go for it and fail. This led to a game sealing TD from Devontae Booker. Another sack came at the end of the game, where on 4th and 10 on the Giants 29, Ojulari went around his man to take P.J Walker down, ending the game and securing a NY Giants victory.