Following the Giants' last-second loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 5, NFL experts reacted to how the team played:
Jordan Raanan, **ESPN**
"Odell Beckham Jr. wants the pressure on him. He's got it now. The heat remains on the New York Giants receiver and quarterback Eli Manning after a crushing 33-31 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Giants (1-4) are again in last place in the NFC East heading into their Thursday night matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. It's a familiar position after last season's 3-13 finish."
Pat Leonard, **New York Daily News**
"I also loved rookie edge rusher Lorenzo Carter getting in Newton's face the first time he tackled him, wrestling with him a bit on the ground. This kid is going to be a player. The Giants need more sacks now from their pass rush, though. They got one from Connor Barwin. Maybe they get Olivier Vernon back Thursday against Philly."
Paul Schwartz, **New York Post**
"Pat Shurmur was as emotional as anyone around the Giants has ever seen him after this one. Rightly so. He did a good job navigating his timeouts late in the game, giving the offense plenty of time — perhaps too much time, as it turned out. It is Shurmur's call to go with Beckham on punt returns, for better or worse. His challenge is getting his team to rise from this rubble. There was plenty of erratic play. James Bettcher got his defense to deal with Cam Newton's option runs."
Dan Graziano, ESPN
"The Giants? They fought back against Carolina. Jeez, they scored 30 points in a game for the first time since Tom Coughlin was their coach. You force a 63-yard field goal attempt with no time left on the clock, you have to feel like you've got the thing won. But nothing has gone right for the Giants for quite a while now."
Herbie Teope, **NFL.com**
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as the saying goes. In this case, the wheel needing lubrication was New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who turned heads before the weekend by questioning the team's energy and his role in the offense. On Sunday, it appeared the Giants looked Beckham's way early and often, and the approach resulted in Beckham totaling eight catches for 131 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets. Beckham also tossed a 57-yard touchdown pass to running back Saquon Barkley on a trick play."
Stephen Smith, **Fansided**
"Barkley now has scored five touchdowns this season (three rushing, two receiving) and is a prime candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Although he averaged just 3.2 yards a carry against Carolina, his receiving skills and athleticism make him a very dangerous weapon out of the backfield. The Bronx native is certainly living up to the hype as this year's No. 2 overall draft pick."
Gary Gramling, **Sports Illustrated**
"That's More Like It, Eli Manning: Yes, a losing effort, but that's the kind of aggressive passing attack you want to see from this offense, more than balancing out the two interceptions (unless you're one of those goobers obsessed with quarterback rating)."
