Giants overcome injuries to beat Panthers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —

With most of his top skill players sidelined with injuries, Daniel Jones did a little of bit of everything for the New York Giants. He ran the ball, threw a touchdown pass and even made a great catch on a trick play.

Combine that with the best game of the year from coordinator Pat Graham’s defense and the Giants got a rare win Sunday against the slumping Carolina Panthers.

Jones threw a 5-yard TD pass and made a spectacular one-handed 16-yard catch on the game’s only meaningful touchdown drive in a 25-3 win Sunday.

“Yeah, I think that’s an important win for us,” Jones said after the Giants (2-5) bounced back from their two worst losses of the season. “You know, we’ve had some tough games and some close games but, you know, we believe in who we are as a team, and what we’re doing as a team and where we’re going.”

Jones’ touchdown pass to Dante Pettis survived a very long replay review in helping New York hand Carolina (34) its fourth straight loss with star running back Christian Mccaffrey sidelined.

Pettis made a slightly overthrown pass on a flea-flicker which Jones caught with the finger tips of his throwing hand.

The catch was a hot topic.

Jones, who finished 23 of 33 for 203 yards with six carries for 30 yards, didn’t remember ever catching a pass in college. He laughed when asked if teammates are calling him ‘Odell” after former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was known for his spectacular one-handed catches.

Graham Gano kicked field goals of 49, 53 and 44 yards against his former team as the Giants struggled to score touchdowns with wide receivers Kenny

Golladay (knee), Kadarius Toney (ankle) and Sterling Shepard (hamstring) and running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) all inactive.

New York’s much-maligned defense had its best game of the season, limiting Carolina to 173 yards, forcing a safety on an intentional grounding, and getting an interception from James Bradberry, another former Panther. Rookie linebacker Azeez Ojulari had 2 1/2 of New York’s six sacks. Carolina was 2-for-15 on third downs.

“Today it came together for us defensively and goes for the the team, we found a way to win,” safety Logan Ryan said. “That was the biggest thing. And now … we’ve got to replicate that.”