The one that got away still bothers Nicks (3 TDs)

Hakeem Nicks couldn't shake it. The more he tried, the more it lingered.

That intercepted pass from Giants quarterback Eli Manning - the one that headed straight for Nicks but instead bounced off his hand and into the arms of Carolina safety Charles Godfrey - just kept gnawing at him.

"It's one of those things where you say you forget about it, but you really don't," the wide receiver said. "It's still in the back of your head, but you gotta forget about it while you're on the field. But when you get on the sideline, you're like, 'Man, I should've had that.' I just wanted to make up for it."

Nicks did that and more, catching three touchdown passes - all in the left corner of the end zone - to lead the Giants to a 31-18 victory over the Panthers in the regular-season opener at New Meadowlands Stadium Sunday..

He had four receptions for 75 yards, the longest of which was a 26-yard touchdown catch that put the Giants up 7-3 with two seconds left in the first quarter.

With family and friends cheering him on in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., Nicks had a breakout performance against the team he adored as a teenager and his good friend, Panthers receiver Steve Smith.

"This was the game I was looking forward to," said Nicks, who played for the University of North Carolina. "I just wanted to go out here and make sure I was on top of my game."

Nicks consistently exposed Carolina's fragile secondary, outmaneuvering defensive backs Godfrey and Richard Marshall on the first-quarter score. Nicks' quick hands and steady feet also helped prolong a seven-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter that regained the lead. With the Giants down 9-7 and just over a minute remaining in the half, Nicks caught a 25-yard sideline pass from Manning. The play initially was ruled incomplete but was reversed after a challenge from coach Tom Coughlin. Moments later, the quarterback and receiver connected for a 19-yard touchdown.

"He didn't start the game as well as we had hoped, but he came back," Coughlin said.

"I was happy for him because Hakeem works hard," said safety Deon Grant, who said he considers Nicks his younger brother. "He's got that image of a warrior. I know when he's out there on the football field, he's gonna give it everything he's got, anyway."

Though receiver Mario Manningham never got in the end zone, his four receptions for 85 yards helped set up Nicks on several drives, including catches of 25 and 8 yards late in the third quarter that preceded a 5-yard touchdown catch by Nicks.

"Hakeem, he just happened to be in the right spot at the right time," Manning said.

But even after three touchdown receptions and a victory at his team's new stadium, Nicks isn't completely sure he'll get over the pass that got away anytime soon.

"I can forget about it now because we had a great team effort," he said of the first-quarter interception. "But when I see the film, I'll be mad again."