NFL

Bennett contributes to another Giants win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Martellus Bennett broke free over the goal line with a nifty and nimble move for a man carrying a 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame, dusted off the safety trying to cover him and caught the Eli Manning scoring pass with soft, sure hands.

The touchdown gave the Giants a 7-0 lead they eventually would balloon into a 36-7 rout of the Panthers Thursday night, but there was more significance to it.

This is exactly how both the Giants and Bennett envisioned this marriage when he signed with them after playing for the Cowboys.

Bennett had been completely overshadowed in Dallas by the Cowboys’ top tight end, Jason Witten. He wanted a chance, and he is delivering.

Bennett caught seven passes for 73 yards and the touchdown last night, and he has 16 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns in three games this season.

“He’s a big threat,’’ Giants linebacker Michael Boley said. “He’s a big guy who’s able to shed guys off him and Eli puts that ball on the money to him. He kind of got overshadowed a lot by Witten being [Tony] Romo’s favorite target. So, him coming here was his big chance to get out of that shadow and he’s definitely emerging from it.’’

Bennett gives Manning a huge target in the middle of the field while receivers Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and the other receivers draw attention to the outside.

“He’s very athletic and a big target … and he’s not afraid of the big play either,’’ Cruz said. “He blocks extremely well, too, so he’s a dual threat for us.’’

This is how Bennett described the touchdown: “I saw single high coverage and the free safety [Charles Godfrey] cheating a little bit to the right, so I just had to beat my guy and I gave him a nice little move and slipped into the end zone for the touchdown.’’

The play was a blueprint of what both he and the Giants wanted when they got together.

“I was just looking for opportunity and that was what I was expecting here,’’ Bennett said. “I’ve had to come in here and earn a chance to play and earn the reps I’ve been given. There are a lot of things I’m still learning, a lot of stuff I need to get better at. I’ve been learning on the go. It’s been lot of extra studying for me, a lot of time in Eli’s ear and in Eli’s shadow.

“The best thing about here is everyone has confidence in me and the thing for me is building confidence in the games,” he added. “That’s something I’ve been able to do the first couple of games, because I had not really had a lot of success in games before I came here. So this is my first year really getting a chance to make plays.’’

His teammates and coaches love what they see so far,

“With Cruz and Nicks on the outside, that middle of the field is going to be open,’’ Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. “He’s one of those prototype tight ends that really didn’t get a lot of chances in Dallas because of Jason Witten. He’s a 6-6, 250- pound guy that can run. He gives Eli a huge target. Eli is going to find him.“I’m pretty excited about what he’s meant to our offense so far.’’