The New York Giants steam rolled the Carolina Panthers 36-7 Thursday night in the week three opener of the 2012-2013 NFL season. Before the game, the so-called experts gave Big Blue slim-too-none odds to pull out a victory at “Bank of America” stadium against rookie sensation Cam Newtown.
The reason for set doubt, was a factor of three key injuries to the Giants offensive personnel; Hakeem Nicks, fresh off a 199 yard receiving game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was side lined with a foot injury, while Eli Manning’s third option Dominique Hixon missed the trip due to a concussion, and starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw was sidelined with a sore neck.
These missing links certainly were a concern prior to the game for Tom Coughlin and The Giants coaching staff, however, when one man goes down it opens the door of opportunity for the next guy in line to step in, and that is exactly what happened for the G-Men Thursday night.
With the defense of the Panthers shadowing Victor Cruz’s every move, it was clear someone would have to step up in the wake of Nick’s absence, and four year man out of Cal Poly Ramses Barden did just that. Barden had a career game; leading the Giants with 138 receiving yards and 9 receptions, totaling more against Carolina then he did all of last season. Since Barden’s arrival, the 6’6’ receiver was perceived to be a viable replacement to Plaxico Buress, but has failed to use his larger frame to create separation from opposing cornerbacks, and thusly, he hasn’t seen much playing time. But is this performance an anomaly, or is Barden primed to be Eli’s new go to man?
Journeyman running back Andre Brown followed up his break-out game against The Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an even better performance versus the Panthers. Brown rushed for 113 yards on 20 carries on Thursday, proving why the seven teams who cut him in the past were wrong in doing so. Brown ran hard, hit the correct holes, and created a spark in the running game the Giants have been lacking. But is he good enough to replace Ahmad Bradshaw as the starter in the backfield?
Martellus Bennett, or as he likes to call himself “The Black Unicorn,” was sensational Thursday night. The newly acquired tight-end from Dallas proved the hype wasn’t rhetoric. Bennett totaled 73 yards on 6 receptions and showcased his athletic ability in primetime. Furthermore, he proved to be a reliable option for Manning last night and in the future, which is terrific news with the loss of Travis Beckum to an ACL injury, and The Patriots scooping up Jake Ballard this past off-season. But will Bennett be able to sustain these types of numbers all season?
Only time will tell whether or not Barden, Brown and Bennett can build upon what they did last night and continue this success. But in the meantime, it’s fun to debate. One things for sure, with all these playmakers, Tom Coughlin has a few difficult decisions to make when the starters get back, but I guess there are worse problems to have as a head coach.
