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Giants vs New England.
The
score was a close one, but the game wasn't as Steve Spagnuolo's Rams beat the
Patriots last week, 36-35. The time of possession was a lopsided 43:46 to 16:14.
The Giants played last week with a patchwork offensive line and with a number
of key players missing. They got the expected results from going up against a
tough team like Baltimore and ended up with a 24-10 loss.
Patriots.
Their
last real game was against the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs.
You saw how explosive the Ravens can be last week when they played the Giants.
Well they exploded all over the Patriots in that playoff game putting up 24 points
in the 1st quarter and the Patriots were down and out 33-14. The Patriots haven't
won a playoff game since losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. Patriots
- Offense.
Last week they scored on a 97
yard kickoff return on the opening play of the game. After that Tom Brady was
the whole offense for his team. Brady completed 18 of his 22 passes for 273 yards
and threw 3 touchdowns before he left in the fourth quarter. By the time he was
done Brady passed for 11 of the 12 first downs
with the other coming on a penalty. Meanwhile the
running game netted them just 28 yards on 11 carries and without that being effective,
the Patriots' offense didn't get a first down until there was 3:10 left in the
first half. That was on a pass play by Brady who completed the drive to get New
England's first offensive touchdown of the game. Patriots
- Defense.
While the
Rams defense allowed only 12 first downs, the Patriots gave up 30. They couldn't
stop the run and didn't show a good pass rush. Not known for having a strong secondary,
they have lost cornerback Leigh Bodden who was just placed on season-ending injured
reserve. This defense held up in limited action in the first two preseason games,
but against the Rams rookie quarterback Sam
Bradford making his first start, they were exposed. Bradford
went 15-of-22 for 189 yards with two touchdowns, and all three Rams quarterbacks,
including undrafted Thaddeus Lewis, led scoring drives. Giants
- Offense.
Preseason game four being what
it is, expect to see a lot more of the current number two quarterback Rhett Bomar.
Tom Coughlin might be tempted to keep Eli Manning and the first unit in the game
longer than usual because they do need the work. If New England's backup quarterback
isn't effective in the air and they show their standard poor running game they'll
be off the field fast and the Giants starting offense could get more than the
expected playing time in this game. Giants
- Defense.
They might not see Tom Brady
on the field as he's had a real strong preseason and the Patriots first offensive
unit played into the fourth quarter last game. Bill Belichick is likely satisfied
with his passing unit, so maybe he'll unveil Laurence Maroney who led the team
in rushing last year. For some reason their top running back hasn't played the
last two weeks. This defense wasn't tested much on the ground last week, but they
did the job and the pass rush is improving with each game. They do have their
work cut out for them in the secondary. Notes.
The
Giants had to cut five players to reach the NFL-mandated roster limit of 75 on
Tuesday. Veteran wide receiver Sinorice Moss, veteran quarterback Jim Sorgi and
rookie Adrian Tracy were placed on injured reserve. Offensive lineman Kevin Boothe
was placed on the reserve physically unable to perform list, sidelining him for
the first six weeks of the season and rookie wide receiver Nyan Boateng was waived.
The final cutdown to 53 players must be completed by 6 p.m. on Sept. 4. 
First
Regular Season Game
Sep 12 -
Carolina at Giants
Giants Tickets -
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