Patriots Rally, Defeat Giants 27-26: Full Recap and Highlights
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle (82) catches a pass against New England Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan (26) in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The teams traded punts on the next two possessions, before the Patriots took over possession late in the first quarter. Brady was able to find wide receiver Julian Edelman in the middle of the field for a 30-yard catch and run that flipped the field possession in favor of New England.
Three plays later, Brady found Edelman again for a gain of 12 on a key third and four play. That play ended the first quarter, and continued on the Patriots’ drive deep in Giants’ territory, but Edelman came up limping on the play and immediately went to the sidelines. Soon after, Edelman went to the locker room, and he never returned to the field. It was reported that Edelman left the game with an ankle injury.
Edelman is one of the most important players on the Patriots’ offense, and they clearly missed him through the rest of the game. It will be interesting to see if Edelman misses anymore time. The Patriots have dealt with a ton of injuries throughout this season, but Edelman could be one that would be impossible to recover from.
Back to the game, the Patriots capped off that drive early in the second quarter with a 31-yard field goal by Gostkowski to give them a 10-7 lead.
The Giants immediately drove the ball down the field. With the ball just over the mid field line, Manning found little-used WR Myles White down the sideline for a huge 28-yard reception that moved the ball down to the New England 16-yard line.
However, Manning dropped back to pass on the very next play, and was sacked by Chandler Jones, who also forced Manning to fumble. The ball was recovered by the Patriots as they forced a huge red zone turnover. That play gave Jones an incredible 10.5 on the season, which leads all players in the NFL.
Unfortunately, the offense could not take advantage of the big play by Jones, continuing to sputter without Edelman. The Giants’ defense forced a quick three and out, which led to great field position for their offense. Manning capitalized on the field position, and the Giants were able to tie up the game with a 37-yard field goal by Josh Brown.
The Patriots’ offense continue to struggle on the next drive, as they were forced to punt quickly. The Giants took over possession at their own 26-yard line with 1:09 remaining in the first half.
Manning quickly got them in scoring distance with a 31-yard completion to Rueben Randle right off the bat. An 11-yard completion to Dwayne Harris on third and 10 kept the drive alive for the Giants, before Manning found tight end Will Tye deep down the middle of the field for 31 yards, putting the Giants all the way down to the one-yard line.
Two plays later, Manning found Harris again, this time for a one-yard touchdown pass to give the Giants a 17-10 lead heading into halftime. With a seven point lead and set to receive the second half kick, the Giants were clearly in the driver’s seat.
Next: Second Half