The New York Giants entered their week 10 clash with the 8-0 New England Patriots with the worst pass defense and the fewest sacks in the NFL. The logic beforehand was that the Patriots would be able to light up the scoreboard, the only question was if the Giants could keep up and make it a game. Well the Giants defense held the Patriots under 30 points and gave Eli Manning the football for a potential game winning drive.
The Patriots were driving down the field. If they scored a touchdown they would lead the Giants 31-23 making it an 8 point game. After a penalty nullified a LeGarrette Blount touchdown run, the Giants defense stepped up. Trumaine McBride intercepted a Tom Brady pass intended for Brandon Lafell.
Down 24-23 the Giants got the football with a chance to take a late lead. It played out much like their two Super Bowl victories over the Patriots. The Giants went on to take the lead with a Josh Brown field goal with just over a minute and a half remaining. The Giants had the lead 26-24 with 1:47 left on the game clock.
The Giants left enough time for Tom Brady to work his magic for a game winning drive. Brady of course was very comfortable in this position; the four time Super Bowl champion is as clutch as it gets in football. The tension in the fall air was palpable.
It looked like the Giants had put an end to the game when Landon Collins grabbed a deep bomb from Brady, however the ball popped out and he hadn’t completed the act of catching the football. Brady and the Patriots were given another chance. The next play Damontre Moore collapsed the pocket and forced the release from Brady before he could diagnose the defense.
Before you know it was fourth down and the Giants were one play from ending the game in their favor. They converted on the fourth down attempt and the nerves of the fans in MetLife Stadium were on fire.
With six seconds remaining Brady spiked the football to set up a 54 yard field goal for Stephen Gostkowski.Everything the two teams had been through rested on the foot of the Patriots kicker. In the end the kick gave the Giants heartbreak and extended the Patriots winning streak.
The field goal snatched a victory that the Giants needed. The Giants battled arguably the best team in the NFL to the very end. There are no moral victories in the NFL, the loss counts in full despite the heroic performance of the Big Blue Giants.
The important takeaway from this game, besides the cold reality that loss provides, is that the Giants are better than we thought they were. They were able to slow down a Patriots offense that averages the most points and yards per game in the NFL. The Patriots won 27-26 but in a familiar story the Giants showed that they could play with the Super Bowl favorite.