Little-known Giants come up big in win

Newsday

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

The buzz around the league for much of this week was about the replacement officials. After Thursday night, they’ll be talking about the replacement Giants.

The Giants were without four key offensive players but picked up right where it left off four days earlier, crushing the Panthers behind the efforts of two players who had so little history of heroics that they had career days by the time the first quarter was over.

By the time the game ended with a 36-7 victory, wide receiver Ramses Barden and running back Andre Brown were key cogs in an offensive machine that shows no signs of slowing down.

Yes. That Ramses Barden. And that Andre Brown. Two of the 2009 Giants draft picks who have been invisible for nearly three years.

Hakeem Nicks was expected to play but on Tuesday he was ruled out because of a lingering foot injury and the short span between games. Domenik Hixon would have stepped in for him, but he was out with a concussion. That meant Barden was thrust into his first start. All he did was catch seven passes for 123 yards in the first half as the Giants built a 20-0 lead at the break. Barden entered with 16 catches for 198 yards in his career.

Barden finished with nine catches for 138 yards. Brown gained 113 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns.