FOXBORO — The following NFL MVP calls New England dwelling.
His crew lords over the AFC East.
And after being bloodied, overwhelmed and downright fortunate to slink out of Cincinnati with a win final week, the Patriots unleashed all that they had left earlier than their long-awaited bye.
Even the optimist’s optimist needed to admit there was a good probability that won’t have been sufficient to flee once more Monday. Not after a dozen video games, together with 4 within the final 22 days.
Seems, it was sufficient. Greater than sufficient. Sufficient to ship a brutal, Big Blue beatdown on nationwide tv.
If the Giants hadn’t gained two Tremendous Bowl rings on the Pats’ expense, you may really feel unhealthy for them. This was actual soccer ache.
Ache that left star move rusher Brian Burns marinating in some sort of anger and bewilderment whereas he sat on the bench minutes after his crew had already retreated into the halftime locker room trailing by 23.
For the 30 different groups sitting and watching Monday identical to Burns, the sport was one thing else: a warning.
The street to the Tremendous Bowl may run by way of Foxboro once more. Put together accordingly.
How else would you describe the Patriots’ response to final week’s win, which appeared to dent their championship dreams? Will Campbell was arguably their most indispensable participant after Drake Maye, and he’s out for at the very least till the New 12 months due to the sport they almost bungled in opposition to the Bengals. Jared Wilson, their left guard, could possibly be, too.
The 2 gamers who defend Maye when he’s not wanting and can’t defend himself have been — poof —gone.
In the meantime, due to gamers like Burns, the Giants had begun to emerge from the shadows of the league’s basement. In three straight weeks, they pushed the Lions, Packers and Bears — two playoff groups and a Wild Card contender — to the brink. Their 2-10 file solid a shadow over a top-10 offense brewing over the previous two months, and a gifted move rush constructed to tear aside unhealthy pass-protecting offensive traces just like the Patriots’.
But the one factor that got here aside Monday night time was the crew round that move rush. Maye calmly dissected the Giants protection all night time, beginning with small tears by way of easy ideas like Kayshon Boutte’s 3-yard landing on a fade route. Then, Maye ripped them deep.
Kyle Williams discovered six factors on the finish of a 33-yard rainbow Maye tossed down the left sideline two drives after Boutte’s rating. That was solely the second quarter, when the Patriots led 24-7. Andy Borregales then drilled two extra discipline objectives earlier than halftime, kicks that may as effectively have been kicks to the abdomen.
And nobody fairly gutted the Giants like Marcus Jones, whose 94-yard punt return landing within the first quarter was the primary signal the Pats is perhaps onto a blowout harking back to the final time that they had gained 10 in a row. These, after all, have been the dynasty days, when even at their most injured and frail, they mustered a kind of creativity and resourcefulness to win on all three phases and preserve plugging.
No Will Campbell? Josh McDaniels and workers not solely coached up his alternative, Vederian Lowe, however unveiled model new, unseen personnel packages to confuse the Giants and add layers to their offense.
No Milton Williams or Khyiris Tonga? The Patriots patched their defensive position with gamers like Cory Durden, a Giants cast-off who proved worthy of a beginning spot at the very least for one night time.
“They advised him that he wasn’t ok to play for the Giants, and we thought he was ok to play for the Patriots,” Mike Vrabel stated post-game. “So, I’m comfortable for him.”
By way of Durden and a bunch of different veterans, the Patriots protection held New York to 4.1 yards per carry, and sacked rookie Jaxson Dart twice. Talking of Dart, don’t neglect Christian Elliss who tried to ship the rookie into another dimension with a devastating sideline hit that not directly negated Dart’s 12-yard scramble within the first quarter.
Flags flew instantly after the play. Not for Elliss, however Giants tight finish Theo Johnson who instigated a combat on the sideline and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Giants offense moved again three yards and punted.
That’s how unhealthy groups keep unhealthy. Not New England, although. Not anymore.
Greater than an illustration of their grit and physicality, each hallmarks of a Vrabel crew, this was a win of sources. Of teaching, of toughness and quarterback play.
The Patriots are again. They’ve been again for some time now due to Vrabel and Maye, but in addition the options they’ll draw from their roster and training workers.
The Patriots have been injured Monday. Drained. Sluggish. And but that first half might have been one of the best they’ve performed all season.
So the underside line for the remainder of the AFC is that this: come January, you might be coming to them.
And irrespective of who they’ve or how they play, you’ll have to knock them out.
