*Barkley's initial touchdown catch came on a 57-yard pass from Beckham. It was his first career touchdown reception and the first by a Giants running back since Wayne Gallman at Tampa Bay on Oct. 1, 2017. Barkley also scored on a 15-yard reception to give the Giants a 31-30 lead with 1:08 left. *Barkley's 57-yard touchdown catch was the longest by a Giants running back since Brandon Jacobs had a 74-yard score vs. Dallas on Dec. 6, 2009. *Barkley was the first Giants' back to catch two touchdown passes in a game since Tyrone Wheatley, another first-round draft choice, at Arizona on Nov. 17, 1996. *Barkley was the first Giants player to score two touchdowns in a game since wide receiver Tavarres King (on catches of 13 and 57 yards) vs. Philadelphia last Dec. 17. He was the first Giants running back to score twice since Oct. 10, 2013, when Jacobs had touchdown runs of four yards and one yard. *Barkley became the 51st player to score a regular-season touchdown on a pass from Manning. *Beckham had an extraordinary game, even by his standards. He led all receivers with eight catches for 131 yards (including a 33-yard touchdown), threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Barkley, returned three punts for 15 yards, and one kickoff – after Gano's game-winning field goal – for 26 yards (before lateraling to Curtis Riley, who then lateraled to Sterling Shepard). *Beckham's 100-yard game was his third of the season and the 22nd of his career, tying Amani Toomer's franchise record. However, the Giants are 8-14 when Beckham finishes with at least 100 receiving yards. *The touchdown reception was the 39th of Beckham's career. It ended his streak of four consecutive games without a touchdown, which had tied his career one-season high (he went five games without a touchdown in the final game of 2015 and first four of 2016). *According to the Elias Sports Bureau, when Beckham connected with Barkley, he became the first Giants wide receiver to complete a pass since the 1970 merger. Beckham threw a pass at Tennessee on Dec. 7, 2014, but it fell incomplete. *Beckham was the second wide receiver to throw a touchdown pass this season. On Sept. 23, Miami's Albert Wilson threw a 42-yard scoring pass to Jakeem Grant vs Oakland. Beckham was the first non-quarterback to complete a pass of at least 57 yards in…three weeks. On Sept. 16, Tennessee safety Kevin Byard threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Dane Cruikshank out of a punt formation. *Beckham was the first Giants player other than a quarterback to complete a pass of at least 57 yards since Oct. 1, 1967, when running back Ernie Koy threw a 68-yarder to Homer Jones. *Beckham was the first Giants player other than a quarterback to throw a touchdown pass since Oct. 27, 1996, when Wheatley tossed a 24-yarder to Chris Calloway. *Beckham was the first Giants player with a touchdown reception and a touchdown pass in the same game since Frank Gifford on Nov. 22, 1959. Gifford had a 33-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Charlie Conerly and threw a 37-yard scoring pass to Alex Webster against the Chicago Cardinals in Minneapolis. *Beckham was the fourth player in NFL history to have at least 100 receiving yards and a 50+ yard touchdown pass in the same game, joining New England's (and former Giant) David Patten (Oct. 21, 2001 at Indianapolis), Pittsburgh's Tom Tracy (Dec. 13, 1958 vs. the Chicago Cardinals) and Philadelphia's Billy Ray Barnes (Nov. 16, 1958 vs. Chicago Cardinals). Beckham and Patten are the only players to accomplish the feat with a touchdown catch.<doc-sep>Complete coverage as the Giants try to get their season pointed in the right direction Giants at Panthers 2018, Week 5: Everything you need to know about 33-31 loss Share All sharing options for: Giants at Panthers 2018, Week 5: Everything you need to know about 33-31 loss The 1-3 New York Giants are on the road this week to face the 2-1 Carolina Panthers, who are coming off a bye week. We already know that the Giants will be heavy underdogs, and that the root of the Giants’ problems lies in their inability to score enough points on offense. We will have complete coverage throughout the week — pre-game, in-game and post-game. Stay with Big Blue View, and with this StoryStream, throughout the week to get ready for Sunday’s action.<doc-sep>The Panthers are coming off an early bye week. While the timing seemed less than ideal, it gave the Panthers an additional week to recover from their injuries. In their first three games, the offense has scored a total of 71 points. Averaging 24 points a game may not seem like a lot, but it’s more than what was expected out of this patchwork offense that’s filled with new pieces. Although it’s unlikely the Giants will be featured in the postseason after falling to 1-3, coming off a bye week, it’s hard to sleep on any team. The Giants’ defense is far from the prime reason why the team is struggling. If anything, their defense is the key factor as to why the Giants had a chance to win each of their games. New York will also be getting some much needed help this week with the return of defensive end Josh Mauro after sitting out a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The Giants are also anticipating the return of linebacker Olivier Vernon and cornerback Eli Apple. Currently, the Panthers are 7.5 point favorites over the Giants. Here are three keys for Carolina’s offense to defeat New York: Utilize the zone read: The Giants struggled defending the zone read against the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Saints. The Panthers are able to utilize the zone read because of Cam Newton’s size, athleticism, and ability to run. Carolina leads the league with 166 rushing yards per game. While Christian McCaffrey adds to the Panthers’ ground success with his shiftiness, a big reason is Newton. Defend against the pass rush: New York hasn’t had a real threatening pass rush. Connor Barwin has yet to deliver and Lorenzo Carter has only shown flashes here and there. B.J. Hill leads the team with two sacks. However, the return of top edge rusher Vernon could be a difference maker. In his two seasons with New York, Vernon has combined for a total 15 sacks and 66 tackles. Stopping the pass rush allows Carolina to make plays to its receivers against a weak Giants’ secondary. Expose the Secondary: As stated above, Giants have a weak secondary. While Apple will most certainly add to the depth, Giants struggle for quality beyond Landon Collins and Janoris Jenkins. Aside from being Carolina’s top rusher, McCaffrey is the team’s top receiver. CMC is Newton’s No. 1 weapon and should continue to be a threat. Exposing New York’s secondary allows for opportunities for rookies such as D.J. Moore and Ian Thomas to make plays. This game will come down to building momentum after a bye week and taking advantage of the Giant’s defensive woes. Although the Giants have some big names returning on Sunday, the Panthers should enter the game with the confidence for a win.<doc-sep>The New York Giants lost a heartbreaker to the Carolina Panthers, 33-31, Sunday as the Panthers squeaked past the woebegone Giants with a last-second 63-yard field goal. The Giants broke the 30-point barrier (which, honestly, shouldn’t even BE a barrier for a team with the offensvie firepower the Giants boast) for the first time since 2015, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their own play. What can did we learn from the Giants’ tough loss in Carolina? The Giants’ special teams remain a problem As Dan Pizzuta and I noted this week after the loss to the New Orleans Saints on the Big Blue reView podcast, it’s a sad state of affairs when the best thing you have to talk about on special teams is the improvement of your kicker. And kudos to Aldrick Rosas, because he HAS improved this season. Yes, he did kick one out of bounds on a slick field, but he nailed a career-long 53-yard field goal, has been perfect on the season, and solved any kick coverage problems by simply depositing the ball behind the opposing endzone. That’s about where the kudos will end. The Giants’ punt coverage remains an adventure, and they STILL can’t seem to find a reliable punt returner, even with Odell Beckham Jr.’s presence back there. The Giant added a bevy or special teams specialists in the offseason, and hired a new Special Teams Coordinator — though Tom Quinn remains as an assistant as Thomas McGauhey fights his own battle with cancer. We don’t talk much about special teams, but it is a vital part of the game. Even a great offense and defense can’t overcome the hidden yardage lost by bad special teams. It’s a problem the Giants need to fix, but they might not be able to do so this year. The Giants’ are undisciplined Sloppy tackling. Bad penalties. Poor routes. Mental mistakes and miscommunications on offense and defense. These things have been problems throughout the 2018 for the Giants, but they hadn’t come together quite like they did against the Carolina Panthers. Though the team came in to the game as the least-penalized team in the NFL, the Giants are still undisciplined. The NFL has an officiating problem This isn’t just limited to today’s game against the Giants. The officiating has been horrific league-wide all season long. The most egregious today was the unnecessary roughness penalty against Landon Collins as three Giants collided while coming for wide receiver Devin Funchess. That call on @TheHumble_21 tho??? Can someone explain this one? — Jonathan Casillas (@jcasillas52) October 7, 2018 The problem? Collins was going for the interception and Funchess fell into the back of Collins’ helmet. The play would have ended the Panthers’ drive, but instead the penalty kept the drive alive, which ended in points. Later in the game there was a somewhat questionable call on Kerry Wynn to cancel out a holding call on the Panthers which would have had them starting with a 1st and 20 on their final drive. These calls on the heels of a pair of terrible calls on Clay Matthews in the second and third weeks of the season, and a bevy of others around the NFL. Considering the Panthers only won by two points on a career-long 63-yard field goal as time the difference in the game. Blame could also be levied on Odell Beckham’s mistake on special teams or the defense’s bad tackling in the first half. This has become a big problem across the league. One the league will either need to address or heir product will continue to suffer. The Giants playmakers can make plays For the first time this season, the Giants’ playmakers all showed up and made plays. In the same game. Beckham’s blunder on special teams might have been the difference in the game, but he made up for it by throwing a 57-yard touchdown to Saquon Barkley and making a terrific catch for a 33-yard touchdown touchdown of his own. Sterling Shepard was clutch with four catches for 75 yards to help keep Giants’ drives alive. Saquon Barkley finished the game with 129 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Giants’ lost in a fashion that could have been called “fluky” if they hadn’t put themselves in that position with three quarters of bad, sloppy play. But, their playmakers did enough that they could have won, and showed the league what There is no running game Dave Gettleman introduced us all to the phrase “Hog Mollies” this past offseason as he vowed to “fix” it and return the Giants’ to a hard-nosed run-first offense. In doing so he threw money at Nate Solder and Patrick Omameh, drafted Will Hernandez and Saquon Barkley, let Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, and D.J. Fluker walk in free agency and traded Brett Jones for a 7th round pick. In 2017 the Giants averaged 24.5 rushing attempts per game, for 3.9 yards per carry, and 2 sacks per game. In 2018 they are averaging 19.6 carries per game, 3.8 yards per carry, and 3.2 sacks per game. The offensive line is giving Eli Manning time to throw the ball, as he has had roughly league-average time to throw thus far this season, but the pass protection is unpredictable, and a jailbreak could occur on any play. And so far, the vast majority of the team’s 75 rushing yards per game have come from Barkley either making defenders miss with his agility, or running through arm tackles with his power. All while Barkley has been facing one of the lowest percentage of runs against eight-man boxes in the league. It could be argued that the Giants haven’t called enough running plays, but from Shurmur’s perspective, why bother? With some exceptions, Gettleman’s Hog Mollies have been playing like playing like piglets. The Giants actually showed some heart The Giants could have folded up their tent and started back up for New York at the half. They played some pathetic football in the first two quarters.<doc-sep>
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The New York Giants are in a tough spot, set to face two playoff teams from last season in a span of five days. The offense is struggling. The defense is again shorthanded without one of its top players in Olivier Vernon. The frustration is mounting. Now they face the Carolina Panthers, who are coming off their bye week hoping to continue that trend for Big Blue. Here's a look inside the overall matchup: Giants (1-3) at Panthers (2-1) Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday, 1 p.m. TV: FOX Line: Panthers by 6.5 What's at stake Giants: The Giants are on the verge of reaching crisis mode. The NFC is tough enough, and even though the NFC East is not necessarily distinguishing itself so far, this team doesn't look like a playoff contender right now. A victory over the Panthers would be an enormous boost in confidence, especially with tougher games down the road. This will be the first road game of the season for Giants GM Dave Gettleman, whose cancer is in remission. Gettleman was fired as GM of the Panthers prior to last season. Panthers: The Panthers have not lost a game at home since Week 3 of the 2016 season against the New Orleans Saints. Coming off an early bye, Carolina will now face a long grind over the remainder of the season. Key matchup Giants LG Will Hernandez vs. Panthers DT Kawann Short: Hernandez, the Giants' second-round pick, has improved with each week. He's physical, especially in tight spaces, and he'll meet his match in Short. Short has had six or more sacks in each of his last three seasons. So far this season, he has two sacks, two quarterback hits and six hurries. To this point, the Giants have been challenged on the edges. This is the game where all eyes will be on the interior. How they'll win Giants: Saquon Barkley became just the fifth player since 1950 to have at least 100 yards from scrimmage in his first four games. He has to be the answer to prevent opponents from throwing a Cover 2 and/or soft zone umbrella over the Big Blue weapons, namely Odell Beckham Jr. (31 catches, 331 yards). If the Giants can get Barkley going consistently on the ground – he carried just 10 times against the Saints – it could stabilize the offensive line and allow Eli Manning to attack downfield – something he did not do against New Orleans. The Giants have to score points and take chances. Manning is completing 74.2 percent of his passes, but those attempts are only picking up 6.99 yards at a clip. Defensively, the Giants will again be without Olivier Vernon (high ankle sprain). But CB Eli Apple (groin) should return. Big Blue will need a big game from its defensive line (NT Damon Harrison, DEs B.J. Hill and Dalvin Tomlinson) and far better containment on the edges from OLBs Connor Barwin and Kareem Martin. Hill, a rookie, has a sack in each of the last two games. Rookie OLB Lorenzo Carter's play should earn him more snaps. S Landon Collins is coming off his best game of the season with 14 tackles. Panthers: QB Cam Newton is a dual threat and will be the most difficult assignment for the Giants' defensive front so far. He has the third-most rushing yards for a quarterback in NFL history with 4,456 and his 57 rushing touchdowns are the most all-time for a quarterback. Last week it was Alvin Kamara, and this week it is Christian McCaffrey. In just three games, McCaffrey has 22 catches for 157 yards and is a comfortable check-down option for Newton if things aren’t open down the field. McCaffrey is second in the league at 142.7 scrimmage yards per game. He leads his team in rushing yards and receptions (22) and is second in receiving yards to WR Devin Funchess. McCaffrey set career highs in carries (28) and rushing yards (184) in Week 3 against the Bengals. The Panthers lead the NFL with 166 yards per game, while the Giants are 29th in rush defense (126 yards per game). The Giants have been vulnerable to the read option and Newton is the best at it, so look for the Panthers to exploit it. LB Luke Kuechly matching up in coverage against Barkley will be something to keep an eye on.