Patriots fall to New York Giants in preseason finale
Tom Brady was steady in his last game Thursday before his four-game suspension, completing 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while playing the whole first half of the Patriots' fourth preseason matchup against the New York Giants
His effort was in vain, however, as the Pats fell 17-9 to to conclude their 2016 preseason. Despite an early hiccup -- a pick to Trevin Wade on their first offensive series of the game -- Brady was otherwise sharp, and kept a steady rhythm as the half progressed in his third preseason finale since 2004.
Brady connected with Keshawn Martin for a seven-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring late in the first quarter, but failing the two-point conversion attempt gave the Patriots (3-1) a 6-0 lead. A 32-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski early in the fourth quarter capped the scoring for the Pats.
Randy Bullock's 25-yard field goal at 10:13 of the second quarter gave the Giants (2-2) their only points of the first half, but Ryan Nassib connected with Tavarres King for a 59-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Roger Lewis caught a red-zone pass from Logan Thomas late in the fourth quarter to pad the Giants' lead.
Nassib led the way in passing for the Giants, going 16-of-29 with 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Thomas went 3-of-5 for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Jacoby Brissett continued his strong preseason with a 13-of-21 effort for 152 yards. He took the reigns under center for the entirety of the second half.
The Patriots failed to establish a steady running game, as D.J. Foster (nine carries) and Tyler Gaffney (six) carried the ball just 22 yards apiece. Bobby Rainey led the Giants on the ground, rushing for 38 yards on seven carries.
While Foster's rushing numbers were pedestrian, his receiving numbers were incredible. He caught nine passes for 110 yards -- the only receiver on either side to top 100 yards through the air. King led the Giants receivers, with four catches for 80 yards.
Barkevious Mingo was sharp in his first game as a Patriot, recording six tackles and two quarterback hits. Elandon Roberts led the way with nine tackles, while Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Geneo Grissom and Anthony Johnson were credited with sacks.
From here, the games will now begin to count for the Pats. They head to Arizona on Sept. 11 to open the season on Sunday Night Football against the Cardinals.
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
