me away with a stunning upset win over the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately Phil Simms Color Rush Jersey , ‘almost’ doesn’t count in the NFL, and the Giants couldn’t close out a game they lead for 59 of 60 minutes. But, at least from the offensive side of things, we can say that this was probably the Giants’ best game of the season. So then, what made it so different from the previous 14 games?OffenseQuarterbackFor the most part, Eli Manning played a good game against a Colts’ defense which was coming off a shut-out victory over the Dallas Cowboys. That good game wasn’t dependent, however, on Manning playing exceptionally well, but rather executing a well designed game-plan. The Giants started with the assertion that their offensive line wasn’t going to hold up to the Colts’ front seven. So rather than asking them to do so, Pat Shurmur relied on misdirection plays to slow down the Colts’ defense and give Manning time to make his reads. He also made great use of play-action and roll-outs to get Eli away from the pass rush and speed up his post-snap process with half-field reads. As a result, only three of Manning’s 33 passes were thrown into coverage, and the Colts only landed three quarterback hits all game. But despite relying on misdirection and quick passes, the Giants were not conservative in the passing game. Eli’s average pass was, per Next Gen Stats, only .8 yards behind the first down marker, which is a dramatic improvement over the previous games. All told, Manning distributed the ball well and didn’t shy away from looking down the field. Skill Position PlayersHeading in to the Giants’ game against the Tennessee Titans, the conversation was that the offense now flowed through Saquon Barkley. That cold, sloppy day against Tennessee proved that hypothesis to be incorrect. This game, the Giants acknowledged that without Odell Beckham they are missing a key cog in their offense. So rather than trying to force the ball through Barkley, they spread the ball around rather than rely on the running game. Over the last three weeks Harry Carson Color Rush Jersey , Barkley has averaged roughly 2.5 yards per carry on 47 carries (excepting his two big runs for a total of 130 yards against Washington). It is a good sign that the Giants’ coaching staff was able to scheme around the lack of a run game and keep the offense moving and on schedule.Barkley played 57 of the Giants’ 65 offensive snaps, picking up a total of 77 yards from scrimmage. He carried the ball 21 times for 43 yards and a touchdown, and added another 5 receptions on 7 targets for 34 yards.The offensive stars of the game were Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. Engram continues to be a weapon for the Giants in the absence of Odell Beckham. The Giants made great use of his talents and he lead the team with a total of 113 yards from scrimmage with 26 rushing and 86 receiving yards on 42 snaps (65 percent).Sterling Shepard had a fantastic bounce-back game after having his worst outing as a pro against the Titans. Shepard played 58 of 65 snaps (89 percent), and came up with 113 yards receiving on six receptions. He also lost three yards on his lone carry, to drop him behind Engram on the total yardage list. Beyond Engram, Shepard, and Barkley, Manning targeted six other receivers. Scott Simonson (3 for 3, 16 yards, 1 touchdown, 24 snaps)Rhett Ellison (2for 2, 18 yards, 25 snaps)Bennie Fowler (1 for 3, 26 yards, 54 snaps)Cody Latimer (1 for 1, 10 yards, 20 snaps)Eli Penny (1 for 1, 5 yards, 17 snaps) Corey Coleman (0 for 1, 1 rush, 5 yards Lawrence Taylor Color Rush Jersey , 15 snaps) DefenseFront SevenFilling in for the injured Alec Ogletree, UDFA rookie linebacker Tae Davis played every one of the Giants’ 67 defensive snaps. The Colts were able to isolate and exploit him in coverage, but he still showed up on the stat sheet with 7 total tackles and the lone sack of the game. After Davis, it shouldn’t surprise that Olivier Vernon played the second-most snaps among front seven players, with 64 of 67 snaps. Vernon was quietly disruptive as a pass rusher against the Colts’ talented offensive line. He had a strip-sack negated by penalty, but was credited with a pair of QB hits and was the Giants’ most successful rusher per Next Gen Stats. Surprisingly, DT B.J. Hill has emerged as one of the Giants’ core defensive players, and played just one less snap than Vernon at 63 on the game. That high snap count might have been influenced by the early loss of Mario Edwards Jr. to a calf injury, and Hill only came up with a single quarterback hit and no tackles. B.J. Goodson was second among linebackers with 55 snaps. And as usual, he was productive going downhill, with six total tackles and a tackle for a loss.On the defensive line, EDGE Kareem Martin and DT Dalvin Tomlinson were tied with 45 snaps. Martin was quiet, notching a single tackle, while Tomlinson finished with four tackles and a tackle for a loss.EDGE Lorenzo Carter saw 29 snaps, coming up with a pair of QB hits and a pass defensed (which probably should have been intercepted). Josh Mauro rounds out the major contributors with 25 snaps.SecondaryCornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and B.W. Webb, as well as safeties Michael Thomas and Curtis Riley played every one of the Giants’ 67 snaps. And while the Giants’ struggled to stop, or even slow, the Colts’ offense once it got going, their coverage was actually quite tight. Riley came up with an interception in the first half, sprinting to the endzone to catch an errant throw from Andrew Luck like a wide receiver running a corner route. Jenkins and Webb each had their hands on passes of their own, but both times the ball found the turf. Thomas has continued to thrive in his expanded role Carl Banks Color Rush Jersey , racking up seven tackles and a pass defensed. Grant Haley is a starter in all but name, playing 57 of 67 snaps (85 percent), and picked up seven tackles on the day. Haley has his rookie moments in games, but he has done well to grow into his role as the nickel corner and looks to be a good piece for the future. Likewise, Sean Chandler might be the Giants’ most efficient defender. He had a tackle, a tackle for a loss, and a pass defensed in just 8 defensive snaps. The Giants’ other UDFA rookie defensive back doesn’t see much time on the field, but James Bettcher clearly has a plan for when to use him, and he produces when he gets on the field. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Odell Beckham Jr. said he spoke with his New York Giants teammates hours before Sunday’s 33-31 loss to the Carolina Panthers to clear the air over comments he made last week.Beckham had talked about quarterback Eli Manning and why the team isn’t throwing the ball farther downfield and playing with more energy. He said after the game that “sometimes stuff comes off the wrong way” and that “words can be portrayed in any kind of light.”But the 25-year-old receiver was quick to add he doesn’t regret anything he said.“It took that for us to come together as a team like we did today, I can take that every single time,” Beckham said.The Giants lost on a 63-yard field goal by Carolina’s Graham Gano with 1 second remaining after battling back to erase an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.When asked last week if there was an issue at quarterback, Beckham told ESPN, “I don’t know. Like I said, I feel like he’s not going to get out the pocket. He’s not — we know Eli’s not running it. But is it a matter of time issue?”He also said, “How come we can’t throw the ball for more than 20 yards? How come we don’t attempt or try to throw the ball for more than 20 yards? Those are questions that we have to figure out, but for now I would say it’s our heart, it’s our energy.”Beckham had easily his best game of the season Sunday with eight catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to running back Saquon Barkley after receiving a lateral from Manning.The Giants had completed only two passes of 30 yards or more this season entering Sunday, and they have only nine passes of 20 yards or greater. They had six pass plays of longer than 20 yards against the Panthers, including Beckham’s 33-yard touchdown catch from Manning.Beckham said he texted coach Pat Shurmur to ask if he could address his teammates.“It had been on my heart since the Dallas game, honestly Mark Bavaro Color Rush Jersey ,” Beckham said. “All the stuff that had built up inside, it came out in the wrong way. … If we’re not all on the same page, if it’s not all authentic and real, and if we can’t understand each other, there will always be miscommunication.”Manning downplayed Beckham’s comments after the game, saying he and Beckham “have a great relationship” and “our mindset will be everybody stay focused on beating Philadelphia (on Thursday night).”Shurmur said he addressed the issue with Beckham and the team — and made it clear he wants to get past it all.“I publicly declared that I didn’t agree with his comments and I asked anybody that was interested if they wanted clarification (to) go to Odell because he’s a big man,” Shurmur said. “Now, I’m not going to give the public a pound of flesh on this, all right? That would make me small, not strong. And these are the kind of things, in my opinion, when we have the locker room that we have that will help galvanize them because the locker room took care of it.”Shurmur added that he is “done” addressing the issue, saying “let’s talk football, not drama.”Beckham said he felt the need to speak up last week because he’s trying to be a leader.“I’m in a position I’ve never been in,” Beckham said. “I’m trying to grow, I’m learning on the way, on the fly, but I’m proud of where we went today. … We kept fighting, kept fighting, and kept fighting. That’s all I could ask for.”