Patriots: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 4

Patriots Pre-Season Game 4: Giants 19 - Patriots 14

The Good:

The Patriots defense had a goal-line stand in the third quarter, forcing the Giants to settle for a field goal after having first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Big punt returns (44 yards and 42 yards) by C.J. Jones set up short fields that led to two touchdowns for the Patriots.

RB Lamont Jordan recovered a fumble. He also performed well for the offense, totaling 27 yards on six carries (4.5 avg.), and one catch for 23 yards.

WR Chad Jackson had two catches for 32 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown grab in the back left-hand corner of the end zone.

QB Kevin O’Connell drove 47 yards on seven plays to cut the deficit to 19-7 on a 16-yard touchdown catch to Chad Jackson. O’Connell also had a five-play, 18-yard touchdown drive ending the game at 19-14.

Punter Chris Hanson had some nice punts, averaging 47.5 yards and a 39.2 net on six attempts.

Patriots outscored their opponents 44-3 in the fourth quarter this pre-season.

The Bad:

Matt Light is back with the first unit offensive line at left tackle, moving Wesley Britt to second-string left tackle. Britt was beaten for one of the two sacks taken by Matt Gutierrez.

Giants march 80 yards down the field for an opening touchdown, powering through the Patriots over matched first-unit defense.

Rookie Patriots linebacker Bo Ruud was injured while playing on kickoff coverage with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter.

The Ugly:

The first units played two series apiece and if the hope was to generate some positive momentum heading into the season, it did not happen.

The Patriots struggled with the running game, both on defense and offense. The Giants ripped up 75 yards on 18 carries in the first half (4.2 avg.) while the Patriots had 37 yards on 12 carries (3.1 avg.)

Note: The Giants played their top five highlights from Super Bowl XLII on the scoreboard during a break in the first quarter. Just a little added salt in the wound!

Final Thoughts:

0-4 though the pre-season, but then again, Tom Brady never took the field.

"We gained a lot of experience [from the four pre-season games]. Four games, and individual guys established a level of play and things they can do. Once the season starts it's a whole new ball game; we know that. So, is it nice to win the games? But it doesn't mean anything. We've had good records in preseason. We've had bad records in preseason. What counts is how you play in the regular season. That's what matters. It doesn't mean that the individual performances and group performances and how you execute plays isn't important. It is important, and that leads to your execution at a later point in time, but I'd say that's what you gain from preseason." –- Coach Bill Belichick

Onto the Regular Season and Kansas City!