Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass against the New York Giants in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots improved to 9-0 on the season, as they narrowly escaped MedLife Stadium with a 27-26 victory over the New York Giants.
Wow, where do we begin in this one? The Giants and Patriots always have incredible battles when they play each other, and this one was no different. The Giants pulled out all of the stops, giving the Patriots all they can handle, and it still was not enough. When it came down to it, 1 minute and 46 seconds was just enough time for Tom Brady and Stephen Gostkowski to team up for a game winning drive.
The Patriots took an early lead in this game, taking the opening kickoff and driving the ball right down the field for a score. The Patriots chewed up the first 8:20 on the game clock on that opening drive, methodically moving the ball down the field 80 yards on 14 plays. That drive was capped off with a one-yard touchdown pass from Brady to tight end Scott Chandler.
The Giants did not let the opening drive get them down, as they quickly fired back. A holding penalty on the kickoff forced the Giants to start their first drive at their own nine-yard-line, but their second offensive play made everything just fine. Quarterback Eli Manning wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. racing down the right sideline, and he took the pass 79-yards to the house, leaving CB Malcolm Butler and safety Devin McCourty in his dust.
Next: First Half Continued
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
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) catches a pass against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Manning led a 10-play, 60-yard drive for the Giants out of the half, which was capped off by a 38-yard field goal from Brown to give the Giants a 10 point lead. The Patriots punted after another three and out to start the second half, but also forced the Giants into a three and out.
After the injury to Edelman, Danny Amendola stepped in as not only the primary wide receiver in the offense, but also the team’s punt returner, and he made a huge play on the Giants’ ensuing punt.
Amendola took the 42-yard punt from Giants’ punter Brad Wing at the Patritos’ own 11-yard line. He made a couple of defenders miss, before finding room down the left sideline. Amendola was racing to the end zone with no Giants’ players in site, before he was tripped up by his own player. Duron Harmon was trying to get out of Amendola’s way on his path to the end zone, but he was not able to do so, tripping up his own player.
However, Amendola’s huge 82-yard return brought the ball all the way down to the seven-yard line, setting up a LeGarrette Blount one-yard touchdown run three plays later. The Patriots were now right back in business, trailing only 20-17, but a 53-yard field goal by Brown quickly made it 23-17 on the next possession.
Next: Gronk Makes His Mark
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) scores a touchdown against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
The next drive for Brady and Patriots began at the very end of the third quarter. They opened the fourth quarter down by six, but with the ball at their own 38-yard line. Brady dropped back to pass on a second and six, but was quickly sacked by Giants’ linebacker Jasper Brinkley as he was cocking by to throw. The sack by Brinkley forced a fumble from Brady, and it was recovered by the Giants.
Things were certainly beginning to look bleak for New England, as the Giants took over possession up by six points, and already in field goal range.
That being said, on the first play of the drive, Patriots’ defensive end Rob Ninkovich was able to get immediate pressure on Manning, forcing the Giants’ quarterback to retreat as he was taken down for a huge 13-yard loss. The big sack took the Giants out of field goal range, and they were force to punt two plays later.
This is when the Patriots let their Lamborghini out for a drive. On a first and 10 from their own 24-yard line, Brady found star tight end Rob Gronkowski down the middle of the field. He put the ball right on the money, and Gronkowski did the rest, making two defenders miss before out-running the rest of the defense to the end zone for a 76-yard touchdown reception.
Gronkowski’s huge play gave the Patriots a 24-23 lead, and completely flipped the momentum of the game. The Patriots’ defense then forced a quick three and out, before Brady drove the offense right back down the field.
Next: Giants Take Control
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris (17) runs after a pass reception as he is pursued by New England Patriots cornerback Rashaan Melvin (24) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. New England Patriots defeat the New York Giants 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
The eight-play 76-yard drive was highlighted by an incredible 54-yard bomb to wide receiver Brandon LaFell down the left sideline. A few plays later, Blount rumbled into the end zone from a yard out, seemingly giving the Patriots an even bigger lead. However, the touchdown was brought back on a holding call against Patriots’ center David Andrews.
On second and goal from the five-yard line, Brady tried to hit LaFell on a quick slant pass at the goal line, but the ball was thrown well behind the receiver. Giants’ cornerback Trumaine McBride jumped the route, making an incredible play on the ball for an interception. What looked to be an automatic eight point lead ahead, was quickly turned back into only a one point deficit. It was a bad throw by Brady, and a great play by the defender.
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Manning and the Giants took over possession at their own three-yard line, down by one, with six minutes remaining. He was able to methodically move the ball down the field with ease against the Patriots’ defense.
The first big play of the drive came on a third and three from the Giants’ own 42-yard line. Manning was able to find Harris on a corner route that ended in a gain of 30. Rashaan Melvin was in coverage against Harris on the play, and he looked completely over-matched.
Manning picked on Melvin again two plays later, as he found Harris deep down the left sideline. Harris took the play down to the five-yard line with the two-minute warning approaching.
Right before the two-minute mark on the very next play, Manning found Beckham on the left side against Butler for a touchdown. Beckham seemed to get both feet in with possession, but Butler did an incredible job of knocking the ball away quickly. The play was originally called a touchdown for the Giants, but after review, it was changed to incomplete.
An incomplete pass to Harris and a busted third down play where Manning took a sack, and the Patriots forced the Giants into a field goal attempt. Brown knocked the ball through the uprights to give the Giants a 26-24 lead, but there was still 1:46 left on the clock for the Patriots’ offense.
Next: Brady Being Brady
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) celebrates after kicking the game-winning field goal against the New York Giants during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
On the first play of their drive, Brady got immediate pressure from the Giants’ defensive line. He was looking to hit Aaron Dobson deep down the field, but the pressure caused him to under-throw the ball by a mile. Rookie safety Landon Collins had an easy interception on the play, but he dropped the ball after skying high to make the play.
This gave Brady and company new life. However, with no timeouts available, it was still an uphill climb. Two incompletions later, and the Patriots faced an immediate fourth and 10.
Doing his best Edelman impression, Danny Amendola stepped up and made a huge play in the middle of the field. The catch-and-run was good for 12 yards and gave the Patriots a new set of downs.
The Patriots continued to move the ball down the field quickly. A short pass in the middle from Brady to Gronkowski for seven yards, short and to the right to Dobson for five yards and back to Amendola in the middle of the field for 11.
With the ball on the Giants’ 45-yard line, Brady found Amendola once again, this time for nine yards to put them in field goal range. They quickly clocked the ball to set it up at the 36-yard line with only six seconds remaining.
This set up a 54-yard field goal for Stephen Gostkowski, who simply drilled it to give the Patriots a 27-26 victory. Gostkowski is now 19-for-19 on field goals for the season, and has connected on a franchise record 27 attempts in a row. He is as automatic as they come in the kicking game, and his incredible 54-yarder moved the Patriots to 9-0 on the season.
Next: Stats, Full Highlights and Final Thoughts
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) is congratulated by teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal against the New York Giants during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
This was a huge effort all around for the Patriots. Malcolm Butler deserves a ton of credit for his work on Odell Beckham, especially in the second half. Beckham finished the game with four receptions for 104 yards, but 87 of those yards came on one play at the very beginning of the game.
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Butler held him to three receptions for 17 yards the rest of the game, with very little help over the top. The Patriots trusted Butler to take care of the Giants’ number one offensive threat, and he pretty much did so on his own. Great game from Butler.
Amendola finished with 10 receptions for 79 yards, including big plays when the Patriots needed them the most. If Edelman is going to miss significant time, Amendola is going to have to step up in a big way for this team, just like he did on Sunday evening.
Brady was not as magnificent as he normally is, but he stepped up when it mattered most, like he always seems to do. Brady finished the game completing 26-of-42 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns and the one interception. The Giants have always given Brady fits, but he was able to make the play when his team needed him the most. He is not the GOAT for nothing.
The 5-5 Giants still sit atop the NFC East as they head into their bye week next week. They will have an important game on the road against the Washington Redskins awaiting them off of the bye.
The 9-0 Patriots will continue their undefeated quest next week as they host their AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Statistical Leaders
Passing
NE: Brady 26/42, 334 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
NYG: Manning 24/44, 361 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
NE: Blount 19 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
NYG: Jennings 11 carries, 39 yards
Receiving
NE: Gronkowski 5 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD
NE: Amendola 10 receptions, 79 yards
NYG: Beckham 4 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD
NYG: Harris 6 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD