Calvin Johnson tormented the Giants secondary in Week 1.
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The only thing that looked more out of sorts than the Giants new offense was their secondary stumbling around the open field trying to cover Calvin Johnson.
In the end it was equal parts offensive and defensive misery which brought the Giants a 35-14 loss in their season opener Monday night.
The scene was ugly early on. Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie — a secondary which is supposedly the strength of the team — got turned inside out by Johnson for a 67-yard touchdown catch just 2:49 into the game.
After a quick Giants three-and-out, Johnson was again wreaking havoc on the secondary with a 16-yard touchdown catch to cap a nine-play drive.
The brightest piece of the night for New York came from tight end Larry Donnell, who had a nice jump-ball catch to pull within 14-7.
But the momentum was never there. Eli Manning threw one of two interceptions on his opening drive of the second half and a Matthew Stafford rushing touchdown with 3:51 left in the third quarter and a Joique Bell rushing TD in the fourth capped a brutal debut.
What we learned …
1. Unstoppable
No one expected Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the secondary to shut down Calvin Johnson, but it would’ve been nice to limit him to, say, one touchdown. Instead, he turned the Giants corners and safeties inside out all night.
2. No Cruz control
Victor Cruz had no impact on the game until the second half, and even then it was minimal. He had just two catches on five targets.
3. Mobile Matt
No one will ever confuse Matthew Stafford for Michael Vick, but he showed just enough mobility to bedevil the Giants’ defense. He even rushed for a score to make it 27-7 and essentially end it.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
