5 Takeaways From the Patriots 12-9 Preseason Loss to the Giants
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
5 Takeaways From the Patriots 12-9 Preseason Loss to the Giants
With the game tied at 9 in the fourth quarter, Giants kicker Chris Boswell nailed a 41 yard field goal to give New York their winning margin. There were no touchdowns scored in the game by either team.
For the Patriots, Ryan Lindley got the start at quarterback and went 22 of 45 for 253 yards and an interception. Jimmy Garoppolo did not see any action and Tom Brady was not in the building, though just about everyone was hoping that he would be.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNew England trailed 6-0 in the second quarter before Lindley led the Patriots to back to back scoring drives in which Stephen Gostkowski kicked two long field goals to tie the game. Gostkowski's first kick was 64 yards and the second kick was 51 yards.
The Giants would go ahead 9-6 in the third after a Chris Boswell field goal but the Patriots would pull it to a tie game again on a 40 yard kick from Gostkowski before New York would pull ahead one final time.
The Patriots finish the preseason with a record of 2-2.
On to Pittsburgh
The Patriots, with every other team in the NFL, need to get down to 53 players by Saturday at 4 p.m. After that, they will be set to kick off the regular season on Thursday, September 10th against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
For more on preseason game 4, see the five takeaways slideshow below.
5 Takeaways From the Patriots 12-9 Preseason Loss to the Giants
Reggie Wayne
While the majority of the starters did not play, there were a couple of notable ones who did see action.
The first is Reggie Wayne who played his second game with the Patriots and looked a bit better than he did in the first.
Wayne had two receptions for 24 yards in the contest.
However, the quarterback was Ryan Lindley and most of the other offensive regulars were not on the field and the Giants defensive regulars were not on the field so its tough to get a good gage on where Wayne is in the offense.
If anything, Thursday's game gave him a little bit of confidence.
LeGarrette Blount
Running back LeGarrette Blount will not be available when the Patriots take the field next Thursday for the home opener as he will be serving a one game suspension.
Therefore, he has taken a lot of reps, probably more than usual in this preseason and he saw plenty of action in the final preseason game.
Blount had four ten carries for 24 yards and also caught four passes for 54 yards in the game.
Aaron Dobson
Receiver Aaron Dobson is likely on the team however, he hasn't established a role for himself yet. A lot of that has to do with how inconsistent he is, making the trust factor between him and Tom Brady a bit shaky.
Dobson had four receptions for 56 yards in the final preseason game and now will wait and see what his role will be.
Cut Down Day
The New England Patriots, as well as every other NFL team, need to be down to 53 players by Saturday at 4 p.m.
While most of the Patriots roster is set, there are some interesting questions.
Defensively, it looks like Malcolm Butler, Tarrel Brown will be the starting cornerbacks and Duran Harmon and Devin McCourty will be at safety.
What will be the status of Logan Ryan, Tavon Wilson and free agent signee Robert McClain? all three of whom saw a lot of action in preseason game four.
Offensively, the loss of James Develin opens up another one, maybe even two spots at running back.
Dion Lewis and James White have battled it out in camp and both have looked impressive at times and other times they haven't. James White is the only player of the two who played in preseason game four and racked up 36 yards on 10 carries.
It's not unreasonable to think they could both make the team given the injury situation and that Blount is out week one.
On to Pittsburgh
The preseason is over, deflategate is over, for now, Tom Brady is back, the banner is going up, and the New England Patriots are set to defend their Super Bowl title.
The countdown to game one of the season is on.
The Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers next Thursday, September 10th at Gillette Stadium.
