CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This one was going to have to be on the Giants defense and it delivered, chasing Panthers quarterback Cam Newton out of his own stadium in a decisive 36-7 rout last night at Bank of America Stadium.
The Giants limped into Charlotte appearing to be offensively challenged with four offensive starters out with injuries.
So it appeared, if they were going to survive Newton and the Panthers, the Giants were going to have to do it with their defense. You could make the argument the Giants defense owed the offense one after looking awful against the Buccaneers last Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
To borrow an oft-used phrase from Rex Ryan, the Giants’ secondary could not stop a nose bleed against Tampa Bay.
Last night they did everything but bloody Newton’s nose. He finished 16-of-30 for 242 yards that came mostly in garbage time, but the most impressive statistic was Newton’s six yards on six carries.
“We wanted to establish ourselves as the defense we feel we should be,’’ Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said.
“We came in knowing we had a lot to defend,’’ Tom Coughlin said. “There were some key, key plays in game — JPP’s [Jason Pierre-Paul] pass rush, the turnovers, the INTs we had. We got a couple licks on [Newton] and that was something that really was kind of missing from the week before.
“You have to be disciplined. You have to have people in the right spots or [Newton] will take full advantage of it. He scares the heck out of you when he does have time.’’
Newton, disgusted by his team’s performance, stopped short of crediting the Giants defense, saying, “It wasn’t what they did, it was moreso what we didn’t do.’’
“It was nothing they did, it was all on us,’’ Newton said. “Offensively, we didn’t get the job done. We knew what type of game it was going to be. Of course, they have elite defensive linemen and elite guys on defense, but we have good players on offense.
“If I was a fan of the Carolina Panthers I would be holding my head down in shame of the product that was out there today.’’
As ashamed as the Panthers were, the Giants were proud of the product they put out on just a few days preparation.
“We did a fantastic job of knowing where he was going to be,’’ said Giants linebacker Michael Boley, who had his third interception in three games.
Said Coughlin on Boley’s streak: “He’s been the right guy in the right spot.’’
So, too, were rookie cornerback Jayron Hosley and safety Stevie Brown, who both had interceptions.
“We hit him early and it set a huge tone,’’ Tuck said of Newton. “We wanted to take away at least one of his options. He knew he was going to get hit all night — and on a short week. You have to be disciplined with him because if you’re not against him he can embarrass you.’’
In the end, the only players embarrassed were on the Panthers’ roster.