Giants romp over Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Just walking by the parking lot outside the Carolina Panthers’ stadium got Andre Brown’s blood pumping.
The Panthers—like four other teams since 2009—waived Brown after he failed to make a lasting impression.

He’s determined that won’t happen again and that this time he’ll find a home in the NFL with the team that originally drafted him: the N.Y. Giants.
If he keeps playing like he did last night, he just might.
Brown ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Giants to a 36-7 romp over the Panthers.
“I’m so happy to come out here,” Brown said.
“It really humbled me,” he noted. “It really shows that everything is not guaranteed.
“You know, I’m just going to ride this wave. Hopefully, it’s a long wave.”
The Giants didn’t need a fourth-quarter comeback last night.
Brown, quarterback Eli Manning, and the rest of the defending Super Bowl champions finished off the Panthers way before that.
Four days after rallying from 14 points down to beat Tampa Bay, New York dominated the first half, scoring on its first four possessions to build a 20-0 lead.
The Giants (2-1) were without three starters, but it hardly mattered.
Like Brown, Ramses Barden is hoping to ride a wave of success. Barden, playing in place of Hakeem Nicks, caught nine passes for a career-high 138 yards in his first NFL start.
Of course, it helps that the guy throwing you the ball is a two-time Super Bowl MVP.
Manning completed 27-of-35 passes for 288 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
On the other side, second-year quarterback Cam Newton struggled all night and was pressured into three interceptions.
The Panthers (1-2) had five turnovers in all, including two by returner Joe Adams.
Newton had no luck running the read option against the Giants. He was held to six yards rushing a week after running for a career-high 71 yards against the New Orleans Saints.
Panthers’ coach Ron Rivera likened the loss to a lesson you learn from your big brother.
“They came in and slapped us around and dragged us to the ground a little bit,” Rivera conceded.
“Hopefully, we learn from it a little bit,” he added. “Hopefully, we learn from it and, hopefully, we don’t like it and we come back focused.”
Mixing run and pass, the Giants dominated the opening half, outgaining the Panthers 303-125.
Manning completed 19-of-25 passes for 208 yards in the first half, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett to cap the Giants’ opening drive and set the tone.
The eight-play, 80-yard drive marked the third-straight game the Panthers have given up a touchdown on an opponent’s first possession.