The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 23-21, in their preseason opener Thursday night at Gillette Stadium. Graham Gano kicked a game-winning 24-yard field goal as time expired to give the Giants the victory.
All of the Giants’ healthy starters played at least a few snaps, with Kadarius Toney, Leonard Williams, and Blake Martinez among the inactives nursing minor injuries.
Stats
Daniel Jones went 6 for 10 for 69 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Tyrod Taylor completed 11 of his first 13 passes and finished 13 for 21 for 129 yards and one touchdown. He led an 11-play, 86-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.
Davis Webb went 8 of 16 for 51 yards.
Saquon Barkley only played during the opening drive, but he was the obvious focal point of the offense for that span. He rushed four times for 12 yards and had an eight-yard reception on the 12-play drive. Antonio Williams rushed nine times for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Collin Johnson made his case for a spot on the 53-man roster with seven receptions for 82 yards. He had a 17-yard catch and run on the opening drive but also fumbled once. Johnson was the only Giants wide receiver with more than three catches.
Injury news
Left guard Shane Lemieux headed to the locker room with a toe injury after the first drive. According to the broadcasters, the Giants had intended for him to take some reps at center. Lemieux was on the sideline in a walking boot during the second half.
Rookie cornerback Cor’Dale Flott was ruled out with a groin injury.
Backup right guard Jamil Douglas was ruled out with an ankle injury.
[Full injury story]
Other standouts
Wide receiver Richie James had two key catches during the Giants’ second-quarter touchdown drive. He caught a deflected pass for a big gain and nabbed a seven-yard touchdown after he appeared to be bottled up near the line of scrimmage.
Rookie linebacker Darrian Beavers displayed impressive instincts. He had one tackle for loss and likely would have had another if the receiver didn’t drop the ball before getting hit.
Undrafted running back Jashaun Corbin did a little of everything. He showed some nice burst on kickoff returns for 34 and 20 yards. He made a difficult 5-yard catch in between two defenders on a dart from Taylor. And he converted a fourth down with a powerful run up the middle.
Highlight reel
Notes
- The offensive line was impressive overall, even with Andrew Thomas and Lemieux departing after the first drive. Jones was sacked once when the entire pocket collapsed on New York’s second drive, but he was rarely pressured otherwise.
- Jones targeted Kenny Golladay three times for only one 6-yard completion. The first miscue was slightly overthrown by Jones, but the second went right through Golladay’s hands and forced the Giants to settle for a field goal.
- Aaron Robinson struggled as the No. 2 cornerback opposite Adoree’ Jackson, with New England consistently targeting his side of the field. During the Patriots’ second drive, Robinson allowed both a 33-yard catch and a touchdown. He was also called for holding and unsportsmanlike conduct (though I don’t think he can really be blamed for this taunting call).
- We didn’t see a ton of trickery from the offense, but wide receivers Darius Slayton and Robert Foster were both used in the run game.
- The Wink Martindale blitz was as advertised.
What’s next?
The Giants will hold their last public training camp practice this Sunday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Game 2 of the preseason is at home against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, August 21 at 7 p.m.
Read more
The Athletic Staff
{{monthName}} {{day}}, {{year}} at {{hour12}}:{{minuteTwoDigit}} {{dayPeriod}}Graham Gano's 24-yard field goal as time expired gave the New York Giants a 23-21 win over the New England Patriots in 2022 NFL preseason action on Thursday Night Football.
Much of New England's starters didn't play Thursday night and the Giants’ healthy starters played a few series in head coach Brian Daboll's debut. There were standouts nonetheless.
Giants QB Daniel Jones completed 6 of 10 passes for 69 yards in light duty. Newcomer Tyrod Taylor completed 13 of 21 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown for New York. Gano made three field goals, including the game-winner.
Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe completed 19 of 32 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey and one interception. Kristian Wilkerson had eight catches for 99 yards for the Patriots and Humphrey had six catches for 62 yards. Rookie Tyquan Thornton was impressive for New England, too, with a touchdown catch in the first quarter.
Up next for New England is joint practices and an exhibition against the Carolina Panthers. The Giants host the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 21.
Check in with The Athletic for the latest news, updates, reaction and analysis from tonight's game.
N.Y. Giants 23, Patriots 21 -- FINAL
BOX SCORE
(Photo: Brian Fluharty / USA Today)
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Giants snap count
Who played and how much for New York on Thursday
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Giants takeaways
FOXBORO, Mass. — Giants coach Brian Daboll likely would have felt great about his first-team offense if he pulled the unit after the opening drive of Thursday’s 23-21 preseason win over the Patriots. Quarterback Daniel Jones led a crisp 13-play, 68-yard drive that ended in a 25-yard field goal.
But Daboll wanted to play most of his starters for the entire first quarter, so Jones got a second series. That didn’t go as well, with protection problems leading to a quick punt.
Daboll is very much in the “process over results” stage, so he’s not going to overreact to two series.
“There was some good and some things we could have back,” Daboll said. “They had a couple of free runners relative to the protection, but I thought (Jones) operated the offense well. He led them down on the first drive. We stalled there in the red zone. Good first start, but certainly things to clean up.”
The opening drive featured a 7-yard scramble by Jones on third-and-5, a 17-yard screen to wide receiver Darius Slayton with right tackle Evan Neal lead-blocking and a 17-yard pass to wide receiver Collin Johnson on a slant to move deep into Patriots territory. The Giants aligned three receivers to the left on a third-and-5 at New England’s 19-yard line, clearing out the right side for running back Saquon Barkley to catch an out route for an 8-yard gain to keep the chains moving.
Read more below:
Dan Duggan·
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Daniel Jones' up-and-down day, plus other takeaways from Giants' preseason win
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5 Patriots takeaways
FOXBORO, Mass. — Mac Jones didn’t play. Same for David Andrews, Damien Harris, DeVante Parker and basically the Patriots’ entire starting unit.
That left plenty of opportunities for the team’s backups to make an impact in New England’s preseason opener against the New York Giants, a 23-21 loss that matters less for the result and more for the individual performances of players vying for increased playing time or a spot on the 53-man roster.
Next week will probably matter more with two joint practices with the Carolina Panthers preceding the second preseason game where teams are typically more inclined to play their starters. But with the first of three exhibition games in the books, let’s look at the big-picture takeaways from Thursday night’s opener at Gillette Stadium.
Chad Graff·
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Five takeaways from the Patriots' preseason-opening loss to the Giants
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Double duty
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick commented on having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge call plays Thursday night.
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Kayvon Thibodeaux checks in
The first-round pick got his first taste of NFL game action.
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Preseason banter
It's always a good time for banter, even in the preseason.
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Giants win
Graham Gano's 24-yard field goal as time expires pushes the Giants past the Patriots in a 23-21 win.
Gano had plenty of work tonight with three made field goals.
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Roy Mbaeteka is in
Roy Mbaeteka is one of the more interesting Giants camp stories.
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Too much time
Anything is possible in the preseason.
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Patriots in front
Lil'Jordan Humphrey catches a 20-yard touchdown pass from Bailey Zappe and the Patriots lead 21-20 late in the fourth quarter.
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Another Giants injury
One constant concern during preseason is injuries. The Athletic's Dan Duggan has the latest.
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Update on Jamil Douglas
Giants OL Jamil Douglas is out for the rest of the game.
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Shane Lemieux update
The Giants guard left with a toe injury earlier tonight.
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Davis Webb time
Tyrod Taylor, who was brought in on a two-year, $11 million deal this offseason, is done for the night.
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Bailey Zappe impresses
Bailey Zappe, the Patriots' fourth-round pick, has completed 7 of 13 passes for 97 yards. He completed two deep passes on New England's last scoring, for 32 and 36 yards each, to Tre Nixon.
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The ins and out of Giants-Patriots so far
The Giants hold a 10-7 lead over the Patriots early in the third quarter thanks in part to Richie James' 7-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter.
New York's starters didn't play much, as expected. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones completed 6 of 10 passe for 69 yards in light preseason duty.
On the defensive side, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale isn't showing all his tricks tonight, but he's opened it up more with the subs. A third down sack by safety Trenton Thompson is the type of look you'll see a lot this season, The Athletic's Dan Duggan writes.
For the Patriots, Tyquan Thornton is one of the bigger talking points. The rookie second-round pick was used in the rushing attack for one play and caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brian Hoyer on another.
(Photo: Eric Canha / USA Today)
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Richie James gives Giants lead
A nice Richie James route leads to a score for New York.
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Patriots draft Bailey Zappe: Another surprise, WKU QB could claim backup job behind Mac Jones
Story from April 2022
After drafting Mac Jones in the first round a year ago, the Patriots again added to their quarterbacks room in the 2022 NFL Draft.
With their third fourth-round pick Saturday, the Patriots drafted Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe at No. 137. With Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham on the roster as Jones’ backups, Zappe projects as a player who could take that job. He threw 62 touchdowns and had just shy of 6,000 passing yards last season for the Hilltoppers, both FBS single-season records.
“It’s nothing short of a dream come true,” Zappe said. “This is something I started dreaming for when I first started playing at 5.”
Read more below:
Matthew Fairburn·
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Patriots draft Bailey Zappe: Another surprise, WKU QB could be Mac Jones' backup
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Daniel Jones' night is over
The Giants QB completed 6 of 10 passes for 69 yards.
(Photo: Brian Fluharty / USA Today)
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Tyquan Thornton involved early
Tyquan Thornton is one to watch for the Patriots tonight.
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Giants starters get more work
Starters coming back onto the field with Josh Ezeudu in at left guard and Devery Hamilton in for Andrew Thomas at left tackle.
Dan Duggan·
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Giants first team starts solid
That could be it for the Giants' first team tonight.
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Pats play-calling duties
Brian Hoyer gets the start under center for the Patriots, too.
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Giants score first
The first score of the first full week of preseason games is a Graham Gano field goal after a 10-play drive.
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More Giants roster updates
Dan Duggan has the latest on who will and won’t play tonight for New York.
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Resting the starters
New England is resting its starters tonight with two joint practices looming.
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Back together again
This preseason game is a reunion of sorts.
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Keep track of the Pats rookies
Want to keep an eye on New England's rookies tonight? The Patriots have you covered.
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Tom Brady stepping away from Buccaneers
Buccaneers quarterback and former Patriots star Tom Brady missed practice Thursday with an excused absence and won’t return for a few days, according to Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. The Bucs coach said Brady would return to the team after next week’s preseason game at the Titans.
Bowles said this plan was decided before training camp to allow Brady to address a personal matter.
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Tom Brady steps away from Bucs for personal matter
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DJ warms up
Giants QB Daniel Jones hopes for a breakthrough in 2022.
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Giants reporter Dan Duggan on the preseason opener versus the Patriots
Has Giants quarterback Daniel Jones shown enough in training camp to instill confidence in the new coaching staff? Which rookies should we expect to see a lot of this fall? Which players have something to prove Thursday night against the Patriots?
Read more below:
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Live Q&A: Giants reporter Dan Duggan on the preseason opener versus the Patriots
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Gillette Stadium renovations
Gillette Stadium is going through renovations. So naturally, fans can expect to see some construction tonight.
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Game ready
The Patriots arrive for duty at Gillette Stadium.
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Kayvon Thibodeaux debut
Many look forward to seeing this first-round pick tonight.
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Patriots-Giants: Tyquan Thornton and 6 other players to watch in preseason opener
The Patriots’ 11th practice of training camp was briefly interrupted Tuesday when David Andrews and Christian Barmore threw punches at each other, the team’s first fight of the season.
As the saying goes this time of year, most of the players are looking forward to finally hitting someone in a different jersey. So perhaps Thursday’s preseason opener comes at a good time for the Patriots, who welcome the New York Giants to Gillette Stadium.
All eyes will naturally turn to the Pats’ new-look offense. If the first-team unit plays, which is no guarantee, it’ll be interesting to see how it fares after some early struggles in camp. A year ago — the first season with three preseason games instead of four — the Patriots did play their offensive starters in the opener. But with two different sets of joint practices looming in the coming weeks (first against the Panthers, then the Raiders), there will be no shortage of snaps against opponents. So it’s conceivable Bill Belichick decides to rest more starters than a year ago.
Since we’re not sure yet whether Mac Jones will be starting, let’s look at seven other players who will be worth watching in the first of three exhibition games.
(Photo: Eric Canha / USA Today)
Chad Graff·
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Seven players to watch in the Patriots' preseason opener against the Giants
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Giants unofficial depth chart
Below is a look at the Giants’ first unofficial depth chart.
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Kadarius Toney update
Giants WR Kadarius Toney will not play tonight.
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Patriots unofficial depth chart
Below is a look at the Patriots’ first unofficial depth chart.
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Which Giants players have the most to gain in preseason opener versus Patriots?
Giants coach Brian Daboll plans to play all of his healthy players in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Patriots. Daboll doesn’t have a preset number of snaps for his starters, but most will likely only play a series or two. So Thursday will be more about evaluating players further down the depth chart as they battle for roster spots.
Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the players with the most to gain Thursday night:
Dan Duggan·
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Which Giants players have the most to gain in preseason opener versus Patriots?
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Toss sweep right
James White will be remembered for his game-winning play in Super Bowl LI.
The running back announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday after eight seasons with the Patriots, including three Super Bowl rings.
“James defines the term consummate professional,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. “His dependability, consistency, unselfishness and performance under pressure are elite. Combining great intelligence, quickness and elusiveness, James was a perfect fit for our pass offense. While soft spoken, he brought exceptional leadership and competitive toughness to the team. He was a multi-year team captain and one of the most respected, best team players I have ever coached.”
Read more below.
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Patriots' James White retires after eight seasons
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Darnay Holmes rising in Giants camp
Slot cornerback was expected to be a hotly contested position battle between Darnay Holmes and rookie Cor’Dale Flott. But Holmes has taken every first-team rep during camp, while Flott has played in the slot and outside on the second and third-team defenses.
Holmes got off to a fast start with two interceptions and a forced fumble in the first four practices of camp. He hasn’t maintained that takeaway pace, and some existing concerns, such as a tendency to hold receivers, have resurfaced. But the third-year veteran has a strong grip on the slot cornerback job, which will be a big role considering how much nickel defense the Giants have been playing in camp.
Read more on whose stock is rising and whose is falling for the Giants below.
(Photo: Jessica Alcheh / USA Today)
Dan Duggan·
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Who’s rising and who’s falling two weeks into Giants training camp
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Where can I watch or stream the Giants vs. Patriots game?
The Giants and Patriots kickoff the first full week of the NFL preseason at 7 p.m. ET Thursday on NFL Network.
The game will air on NFL Network across the United States. If you’re within the New England or New York Giants viewing areas, it is available on local TV and can be streamed on Giants.com or Patriots.com for free or on the team mobile phone app. You’ll need to be in team territory to watch on the team websites or apps.
Check out the odds, expert picks, background, predictions and more from The Athletic ahead of tonight's preseason game below.
Andrew DeWitt·
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See odds, picks and TV channel for Patriots vs. Giants on Thursday night
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Are Patriots' offensive struggles a concern?
It’s not hard to spot Matt Patricia. He’s the only Patriots coach who wears a red hat. The whistle around his neck matches. And, of course, there’s the pencil tucked above his right ear. He’s usually standing a few yards behind the line of scrimmage with a play sheet in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other.
There’s a lot to watch for as Patriots training camp rolls on, especially with the first preseason game on the horizon. The cornerback battle is important. The wide receiver depth chart is, too. But eyes naturally flocked to Patricia on Monday. He’s the orchestrator of the reboot of this offense that remains in disarray.
All three Patriots quarterbacks — Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer and rookie Bailey Zappe — threw an interception. All three were under constant pressure. The running game struggled. The receivers didn’t get open. The incompletions mounted.
Ten days into training camp, the defense is far outplaying the offense. Maybe that doesn’t matter. It’s still early. Maybe the defense is just that good. Maybe the offense will sort itself out.
But at this point, it’s fair to wonder: Should we be worried about the Pats’ offense?
Chad Graff·
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The Patriots' offense continues to struggle. When should we start to worry?
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Giants assistant gets involved in brawl, QB Tyrod Taylor takes 1st-team rep
It was obvious that a fight was brewing during the Giants’ practice Monday. For the second consecutive day, players were in full pads and grinding through a physical session in steamy conditions.
That combination is always a recipe for a training camp fight, and things boiled over during an increasingly chippy sequence late in practice. Tensions started to rise after running back Saquon Barkley lowered his shoulder and ran over cornerback Aaron Robinson downfield. Defensive players took exception to Barkley’s level of force during a “thud” tempo period.
Running back Antonio Williams replaced Barkley and had a run toward Robinson that finished with a tackle and a minor scrum as a defensive player swiped the ball away from Williams after the play. Then running back Gary Brightwell was taken down on a carry by linebacker Tae Crowder, who did some jawing after the play.
The next play was a handoff to Brightwell, but that just gave center Jon Feliciano an opportunity to charge directly at Crowder. The players quickly locked up and it looked like Feliciano tried to knee Crowder before the players fell to the ground in a heap.
The final 15 minutes of practice were completed without incident Monday, but it was an action-packed day.
Dan Duggan·
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Giants assistant gets involved in brawl, QB Tyrod Taylor takes first-team rep