Preseason games are more than just final scores. For most fans and members of the media, preseason is a way to get information about teams and players before the regular season begins. Fans of both the Giants and Patriots learned a thing or two about the team Thursday night, aside from his 23-21 win for the Giants.
As far as statistics go, the Giants dominated the first half. New York more than tripled the yardage while taking a 10-7 lead during the break, and the two teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter before New York started the fourth quarter. He extended the lead to 20-14 in less than five minutes. New England rallied to take the lead on rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Lil Jordan Humphrey with 4:51 remaining. However, the Giants mounted a late-game drive and won the game on Graham Gano’s 24-yard field goal as time expired.
Here are the main takeaways from Thursday night’s game:
Zappe solid in NFL debut
With Mack Jones out, the Patriots’ fourth-round pick received a heavy workload Thursday night. Former Western Kentucky His quarterback completed his 205 yards 19 of his 32 with touchdowns and interceptions. The highlight was a scoring pass to Humphrey, who led New England with 62 yards on six receptions.
Giants O-line shines
They allowed Daniel Jones a few shots (more on that later), but the Giants’ offensive line was exceptional in the run block. For the Giants he had 177 yards on 33 carries, while for the Patriots he had 18 carries for 52 yards. For New York, Antonio Williams ran for 61 yards and scored on nine carries.
Thornton records first NFL TD
Tyquan Thornton’s first NFL reception led to a touchdown, and the New England second-round pick went free in the back of the end zone before Brian Hoyer’s pass down. Thornton, who was expected to bring an element of speed to the Patriots’ receiving force, caught 10 touchdown passes during his final season at Baylor. During his time with the Bears, he averaged 15.7 yards per catch.
Return of Butler
Malcolm Butler rose to prominence following his winning nomination to Super Bowl XLIX. Butler’s penchant for making big plans came true again on Thursday night. Terrence Mitchell scooped up a forceful fumble of Giants wideout Colin Johnson. Butler made his first appearance in the game in nearly two years since retiring before the start of 2021.
Solid preseason debut for Barkley
Giants running back Saquon Barkley looked good on his one possession. He had four carries for 13 yards and caught an 8-yard pass on third down to help the Giants move the chain.Barkley, who has been plagued with injuries the past two seasons, has been on a roll this season. hope to get back in shape.
jones feels the heat
Jones was solid in the two series under center. The Giants quarterback led New York to his goal on the field on his drive in the opening of the game, while he went 6-of-10 for 69 yards. His favorite target was Johnson, who caught both targets at 30 yards from Jones. Johnson finished the game with seven catches for 82 yards.
But Jones never left the game unscathed. On the final drive, he was sacked by Josh Uche before being hit on his final pass attempt. The former first-round pick was sacked 105 times in his first three seasons, but will only be sacked 22 times in 11 games in 2021.
Patriots play call
The pressing question is who will call a play in New England now that Josh McDaniels is in Las Vegas. Patricia appeared to be calling a play during Hoyer’s possession in the first half, but the judges called Zappe’s play.
Tre Nixon makes his presence felt
The young New England receiver caught passes for 36 and 32 yards on the Patriots’ go-ahead drives to start the second half. Nixon, his 7th-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has been in his second career at the UCF. won.
New England suffers several O-line injuries
Injury Bugs hit the Patriots’ offensive line Thursday night. Justin Herron, Yodny Kajusto and Bill Murray all missed with injuries. Despite these injuries, the Patriots’ patchwork offensive line worked well enough for New England to lead 21-20 late in the game.
Taylor still has it
Tyrod Taylor looked sharp in his first preseason game against the Giants. A 12-year veteran and former pro, his bowler started 12 of 14 with 118 yards, and Ritchie scored a touchdown on James to give the Giants a 10–7 lead late in the first half. I was. The 33-year-old looks like he could fully demonstrate his ability to lead the Giants’ offense if called upon.
provocation?
Penalties for provocation (unsportsmanlike conduct) have been a big issue over the past few weeks as the NFL cracks down on provocation. At the end of the first quarter, Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson was given a head-scratching taunt penalty. The penalty helped set up the Patriots’ first touchdown.
next
The Giants will face the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals on August 20, while the Patriots will face Baker Mayfield and the Panthers on August 19.
