Notes and statistics from the Giants' 28-14 season-opening loss to the Washington Redskins.
*The Giants lost on Kickoff Weekend for the first time since 2007, which was also an NFC East road game (45-35 at Dallas). That was also the last time they opened the season on the road.
*They lost a season opener to the Redskins for the first time since 1976 (they beat them to start the season in 1977, 1988, 1989, 1998, 2008 and 2009).
*The Giants are 49-33-5 on Kickoff Weekend, 48-34-5 in road openers and 32-22-5 in season-opening road games. The 49 opening day victories are the third-most in NFL history. Chicago and Green Bay are tied for first with 52.
*Tom Coughlin is 10-6 on Kickoff Weekend, including 4-4 with the Giants.
*The loss ended the Giants' six-game winning streak vs. the Redskins and their five-game winning streak in FedExField, where they are 8-6-1.
*The score was tied at halftime, 14-14, but the Giants did not score in the second half. It was the Giants' first deadlock at the half since Sept. 26, 2010, when they were even with Tennessee, 10-10. The Giants did not score in the second half of that game and lost, 29-10. Dating back to 2007, the Giants have lost their last three regular season games in which they were tied at halftime. They last won a regular season game in which they were deadlocked at the half on Dec. 11, 2005, when a 17-17 tie in Philadelphia became a 26-23 overtime victory. The Giants were tied at the half, 14-14, with Dallas in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game on Jan. 13, 2008 and won, 21-17.
*The Giants' scoreless second half was their first since that Tennessee game last September.
*The Giants held Washington to 72 rushing yards on 25 carries, a 2.8-yard average. In the teams' last three meetings, Washington has run for 74, 67 and 72 yards.
*Seven Giants rookies made their NFL debuts: linebackers Greg Jones, Mark Herzlich, Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams, safety Tyler Sash, fullback Henry Hynoski, and defensive end Justin Trattou. An eighth rookie, running back Da'Rel Scott, was in uniform but did not play.
The eight rookies is the most the Giants have suited up for an opening day game since 2007, when they also dressed eight – Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Jay Alford, Zak DeOssie, Kevin Boss, Michael Johnson, Ahmad Bradshaw and Michael Matthews. Ironically, Matthews, the lone free agent in the group, was the only rookie to start the game.
*Jones was the only rookie to start against the Redskins. He had four solo tackles, including one on the game's first play. Sash had two tackles (one solo) and Trattou had an assisted tackle. Hynoski delivered a key block on Ahmad Bradshaw's touchdown run and caught a four-yard pass.
*Jones was the first Giants rookie linebacker to start on opening day since Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor in 1981, the first defensive rookie to start an opener since tackle Barry Cofield in 2006 (Cofield now plays for the Redskins) and the first to start since Matthews, a tight end, four years ago.
*In addition to Jones, defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul, Dave Tollefson and Linval Joseph and tight end Jake Ballard made their NFL starting debuts.
Pierre-Paul had six tackles (five solo), two sacks of Rex Grossman for 26 yards, including one on which he forced Grossman to fumble. The ball was recovered by Michael Boley. Tollefson had two tackles, including a 16-yard sack, and Joseph had three tackles (one solo). Pierre-Paul and Tollefson had sacks on consecutive plays late in the third quarter.
Ballard caught two passes for 59 yards, including a 41-yarder. His first career catch was an 18-yarder late in the first quarter.
*Eli Manning started is 104th consecutive regular season game. Because his brother Peyton of the Indianapolis Colts is out indefinitely and missed the opener against Houston, Manning has the longest active streak among NFL quarterbacks. Peyton Manning had started 208 games in a row. San Diego's Philip Rivers is closest to Manning with 81 consecutive starts.
*Manning completed 18 of 32 passes for 268 yards, no touchdowns and one interception that was returned for a touchdown by rookie Ryan Kerrigan. It was the first touchdown on an interception return by a Giants opponent since Nov. 14, 2010, when Dallas' Bryan McCann brought one back 101 yards.
*Manning scored the Giants' first touchdown on a two-yard run. It was the fourth rushing touchdown of his career and the first since a one-yarder on Sept. 4, 2008, also in a season-opening game vs. the Redskins.
*Hakeem Nicks caught a game-high seven passes for 122 yards, his seventh career 100-yard game.
*Nicks tied his career long with a 68-yard reception to set up the Giants' first touchdown in the opening quarter. He also had a 68-yard catch vs. Philadelphia on Dec. 13, 2009.
*The Giants rushed for 75 yards, their lowest total since they ran for 61 yards last Nov. 21 at Philadelphia.
*The Giants converted just one of their 10 third-down opportunities, their lowest number of conversions in a game since Dec. 28, 2008 at Minnesota, where they were one-for-eight.
*Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 44 yards to increase his career total to 2,602. That moved him past Bobby Carpenter (2,572) and into 11th place on the Giants' career list.
*Bradshaw's second-quarter touchdown run was the 18th rushing score of his career, tying Joe Morrison for 12th on the franchise's all-time list.
*Grossman completed 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the third game in a row dating back to last season that the opposing quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards vs. the Giants. Grossman passed for 336 yards in the Giants' victory in last season's finale and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards the week before that.
*Fred Davis of the Redskins caught five passes for 105 yards to become the first opposing tight end with at least 100 yards since Dallas Jason Witten (14 catches for 156 yards) on Dec. 6, 2009.
*Domenik Hixon played his first game since 2009 and returned two punts for 27 yards and caught two passes for 21 yards.
*Chris Canty sacked Grossman for a five-yard loss, his first sack since Oct. 3, 2010 against Chicago's Jay Cutler.
*Lawrence Tynes' 38-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter was blocked by Brian Orakpo. It was the first time a Giants' field goal attempt was blocked since Dec. 7, 2008, when Philadelphia's Trent Cole knocked down John Carney's 47-yard try.
*Tom Coughlin won a replay challenge in the third quarter. Grossman threw a pass on the right sideline to Jabar Gaffney that was ruled a 12-yard completion and a first down. Coughlin challenged the ruling, saying Gaffney was out of bounds. After review, referee Ron Winter said Gaffney did not have two feet inbounds with possession of the ball and reversed the call.
Coughlin is 31-32 with the Giants and 41-41 in his career on replay challenges.
*This was the Giants' first season opener in Washington since 1989, when they defeated the Redskins, 26-24, on Raul Allegre's 52-yard field goal as time expired.
*The Giants have faced the Redskins 157 times in the regular season since their first game in 1932, making this their most frequently-contested rivalry. They lead the series, 91-62-4.
*The Giants' inactive players included both of their starting defensive ends, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, who each had 11.5 sacks last season.
Tuck suffered a stinger in a preseason game on Aug. 29 and was limited in the two practices in which he participated last week. Umenyiora is still rehabbing after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Aug. 19.
Tuck's absence ended a streak of 64 consecutive regular season games played. He was not in uniform for the first time since 2006, when he sat out the last 10 games after undergoing foot surgery. He last did not start a game on Sept. 27, 2009 at Tampa Bay, a week after hurting his shoulder in Dallas. Tuck played that game as a reserve and started every game for the rest of the season.
Because middle linebacker Jonathan Goff and cornerback Terrell Thomas are on injured reserve with torn ACLs, the Giants played without four projected defensive starters.
Tuck is the Giants' defensive captain, so Canty took his place at midfield for the coin toss.
Tollefson and Pierre-Paul were the starting defensive ends, with the rookie Trattou making his NFL debut in reserve. Trattou was signed to the active roster from the practice squad Saturday.
The Giants' other inactive players are tight end Travis Beckum, wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan, cornerback Prince Amukamara and offensive linemen Mitch Petrus and James Brewer.
*To honor the memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks 10 years ago Sunday, the Giants' players, coaches and sideline personnel wore NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police caps. Coughlin wore a Port Authority hat in the first quarter, an NYPD hat in the second quarter and an FDNY hat for the second half. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell participated in the pregame coin toss.
