Another week, another incredible performance by the New England Patriots’ defense.
Stephon Gilmore and his crew led the Patriots to a 35-14 victory over the New York Giants in a wonky Thursday night game. The defense and special teams accounted for 14 points after they returned a blocked punt and and took back a fumble. Tom Brady and the offense looked stagnant and they relied heavily on the defensive dominance. But, they’re undefeated and 6-0 for the fourth time in franchise history.
Daniel Jones had his welcoming party in Gillette Stadium after tossing three interceptions with only 161 passing yards and a touchdown. Jones went without Saquan Barkley, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard and Wayne Gallman — so his performance wasn’t horrible for a rookie.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
This Patriots defense is playing absolutely lights out
If New England’s defense continues at this pace, they could go down as one of the greatest defensive units ever.
The only blemish that they had against the Giants was the 65-yard touchdown that they gave up to Golden Tate. Aside from that, they were nearly perfect. They finished the game with four takeaways and they held the Giants to 213 total yards. New York was 2-for-10 on third down attempts and they only had 52 rushing yards.
When they desperately needed to score in the fourth quarter — Kyle Van Noy scooped a fumble up and gave New England a two-score lead. This ultimately clinched the game, and it’s becoming a cyclical process of the defense making up for a lack of offensive production.
Tom Brady and the offense looked sub-par
Brady and the offense road the coattails of the defense.
It took the Patriots six drives to score an offensive touchdown. Their first score was a Chase Winovich touchdown from the blocked punt. The offensive unit was finally able to put the ball in the end zone after Duron Harmon recorded an interception — and Brady started off at the Giants’ 25-yard line. The Giants continued to put pressure on Brady, and he was in a hurry the entire night.
Josh Gordon left the game with a knee injury after recording only one catch for seven yards. Fortunately, the Patriots have Julian Edelman, who finished the game with nine catches and 113 yards. James White also reeled in nine catches and he finished with 54 receiving yards. Sony Michel had 22 carries for 84 yards, but he’s lacked the explosiveness that he carried last season.
The Patriots can continue to win against teams with inexperienced quarterbacks, but their lack of offensive firepower will haunt them if they don’t get healthy and put more points on the board.
Stephon Gilmore is the NFL’s best cornerback
There’s no more debate on whether or not Gilmore is the best cornerback in the league.
He’s hands down the best, and he proved it once again on Thursday night. He made numerous big plays, and his first one was an interception in the third quarter.
Gilmore only allowed one reception the entire game, and his final pass break up in the fourth quarter sealed it.
He’s the best cornerback on the best defensive team in the NFL right now.
Julian Edelman is single-handedly holding up this offense
NFL players don’t get much tougher than Edelman.
He’s been Brady’s go-to receiver since 2013 and he’s been putting New England’s offense on his back. Edelman’s nine catches and 113 yards brought him up to 38 catches and 449 yards through six games. He’s been dealing with a chest injury that sidelined him against the New York Jets in Week 3.
The injuries don’t matter, and he’ll be on the field as much as he needs to be. The Patriots went without Phillip Dorsett against the Giants and they lost Gordon early with his knee injury. Rookie receivers Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski are the only options left, so that left a ton of pressure on Edelman to move the chains. He did so effectively, but there’s only so much of a beating that he can take. If he doesn’t hit a breaking point — he’ll remain a problem for opposing defenses.
Injuries piled up, Patriots desperately needed this 11-day break
The Patriots are really beat up right now.
Fortunately, the defense is in pretty good shape. Two notable players that are hurting from the defense are Dont’a Hightower (shoulder) and Patrick Chung (chest). Both injuries have been nagging, but don’t seem to have long-term implications.
The offense is really hurting with injuries, and this 11-day break is exactly what they needed. Dorsett (hamstring) and Rex Burkhead (foot) missed the game entirely, and the extent of Gordon’s knee injury is still unknown. Tight end Matt LaCosse (knee) and fullback Jacob Johnson (shoulder) were dealing with injuries throughout the game also.
New England already lost N’Keal Harry, Isaiah Wynn and James Develin to the injured reserve list — while losing David Andrews for the season because of a blood clot. The offensive line has been decimated and Brady’s weapons are quickly dwindling.
The Patriots are fortunate enough to take a break and recoup.
