Giants Open Stadium & Season With 31-18 Win

As the game wound down it wasn't clear whether we were watching ping pong or football as the teams turned the ball over in a bizarre sequence of six straight possessions ending with turnovers. But, as I posted before the game, this was a critical game for the Giants for several reasons and, at the end of the day, they won, 31-18.Despite the sloppy play, there were some big positives. First and foremost, the run defense was solid. Carolina is a running team, presumably one of the best. The Giants held them to 89 yards on 24 carries that included one run of 29 yards. The next longest run was 8 yards. This was a considerable improvement over 2009 and a very, very good sign. If they can be consistent and maintain it for the full season, the Giants will be competitive in most games without any of the blowouts witnessed in 2009.Once Carolina fell behind and were forced to play catch up, the Giants demonstrated they have the horses to pound the QB, generating four sacks and knocking QB...