EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Notes and statistics from the Giants' 19-16 victory against the Carolina Panthers:

*The Giants have won two games by a combined four points to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2016.

*The Giants won their first home opener since another three-point victory, 16-13 against New Orleans on Sept. 18, 2016 – exactly six years ago today. The Giants had lost their first home game in each of the previous five seasons.

*The Giants are 51-44-3 in home openers, including 4-9 in MetLife Stadium.

*The Giants' offense totaled 265 yards. In their previous home victory – 13-7 vs. Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2021 – they gained 264 yards.

*The Giants and Panthers each finished with 18 first downs one week after the Giants and Tennessee Titans each had 19 first downs.

*The score was tied at halftime, 6-6. It was the Giants' first halftime tie since Dec. 26, 2021, when they were deadlocked in Philadelphia, 3-3. The Giants lost that game, 34-10.

*The game was also tied after three quarters, 13-13. It was the first Giants game to be tied entering the fourth quarter since Dec. 29, 2019, vs. the Eagles. Philadelphia won, 34-17.

*And…this was the first Giants game to be tied at both halftime and after three quarters since Dec. 10, 2017. When the Giants and Dallas Cowboys were knotted 10-10 at each juncture. Dallas scored the only 20 points of the fourth quarter.

*Graham Gano scored the game-winning points on a 56-yard field goal with 3:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was his fourth field goal of the game and his second three-pointer from 50+ yards in the period. Gano also booted a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter and 36 and 33-yarders in the first.

*In two seasons plus two games with the Giants, Gano has kicked 14 field goals of 50 or more yards, easily surpassing Joe Danelo's previous franchise record of nine. In 2021, Gano set the Giants' single season record with seven such field goals.

*Gano twice kicked two 50-yard field goals in a game last season – 52 and 55-yarders at Washington on Sept. 16 and a pair of 51-yarders in Dallas on Oct. 10.

*Gano's 56-yarder tied two Ali Haji-Sheikh kicks in 1983 for the second-longest in Giants history (Aldrick Rosas, 57 yards on Dec. 2, 2018).

*Rookie Daniel Bellinger scored the Giants only touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Daniel Jones in the third quarter. He is the first Giants rookie tight end to score a touchdown since Kaden Smith scored twice in Washington on Dec. 22. 2019.

*Dane Belton's first NFL play was a memorable one. The rookie safety recovered Chuba Hubbard's fumble on the opening kickoff and advanced the ball three yards to the Carolina 22-yard line. The ball was pushed out of Hubbard's arm by Carter Coughlin, who was credited with his first career forced fumble.

Belton missed the season opener last week while recovering from a fracture clavicle suffered in training camp.

*The Giants recovered an opponent's fumble on an opening kickoff for the first time since Oct. 4, 2009, against the Chiefs in Kansas City. Jamaal Charles fielded Lawrence Tynes' kickoff and returned it 14 yards before he was hit by C.C. Brown, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Bryan Kehl.

*The recovered fumble led to Gano's 36-yard field goal with just 2:10 elapsed. It was the fastest the Giants scored in a game since Nov 4, 2019, when Aldrick Rosas kicked a 21-yard field goal 1:37 into a Monday night game vs. Dallas.

*The Giants recovered another fumble on the Panthers' fifth offensive play, when Darnay Holmes forced wide receiver Robbie Anderson to lose the ball, which was recovered by Adoree' Jackson. Holmes was credited with his first career forced fumble. Jackson's fumble recovery was the third of his career and first since he had two for Tennessee against New England on Nov. 11, 2018.

*The takeaway was the Giants' first on an opponent's first offensive series since Nov. 1, 2021, when Julian Love intercepted Patrick Mahomes' pass in the end zone in Kansas City. The Giants' defense had last recovered a first-possession fumble at Washington on Nov. 8, 2020, when Jabrill Peppers recovered a fumble by running back Antonio Gibson that was forced by Logan Ryan.

Later in that quarter, Washington's Isaiah Wright mishandled a punt, and the ball was recovered by Giants defensive back Madre Harper. That was the most recent game – and the sixth time since 1994 – the Giants recovered two first-quarter fumbles.

*The Giants last had two first-quarter takeaways on Oct. 10, 2021, in Dallas, where linebacker Lorenzo Carter intercepted a Dak Prescott pass and Reggie Ragland recovered a Prescott fumble.

*Love and Oshane Ximines registered the Giants' sacks of Carolina quarterback Baker Mayfield. It was Love's first full career sack. He shared a five-yard sack with Austin Johnson against Philadelphia last Nov. 28. Ximines' sack was his first since he had a half-sack vs. Miami on Dec. 5, 2019, and first fall sack since he had 2.0 at Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 2019, his rookie season.

*The Giants rushed for 103 yards, all in the second half (they had eight carries for zero yards in the first two quarters). Saquon Barkley led the Giants' rushing attack with 72 yards on 21 carries. He ran for 69 yards in the second half.

*Daniel Jones completed 22 of 34 passes for 176 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked three times.

*Sterling Shepard caught a game-high six passes, for 35 yards. Richie James had a game-high 51 receiving yards on five catches.

*Love led the Giants with seven unassisted tackles.

*Carolina's Christian McCaffrey had 15 carries for 102 yards, the first Giants opponent to top 100 yards since Dallas Ezekiel Elliott (110) on Oct. 10, 2021.

*Belton and fellow rookie Cor'Dale Flott each started in the secondary as the Giants opened with six defensive backs. Flott took over right cornerback in place of Aaron Robinson, who was inactive after his appendix were removed last week. He was replaced in the second half by Fabian Moreau, who made his Giants debut after being elevated from the practice squad yesterday.

*Tight end Tanner Hudson had his first two Giants receptions, for 22 yards.

*Defensive tackle Nick Williams made his 37th career start and first with the Giants.

*Cornerback Justin Layne made his Giants debut. Layne and Moreau were the gunners on the Giants' punt team.

*Running back Antonio Williams made his Giants debut on special teams.

*The Giants beat the Panthers for the second straight season and evened the regular-season series at 6-6.

*Defensive lineman Leonard Williams left the game in second half with a knee injury.

*The Giants' game captains were Jones, Barkley and Dexter Lawrence.

*The Giants' inactive players were edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee) and Azeez Ojulari (calf); cornerbacks Aaron Robinson (appendix), Nick McCloud (hamstring); safety Jason Pinnock (shoulder); wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (knee); and offensive lineman Tyre Phillips.