Patriots-Giants Live Blog: Pats Fall 12-9 In Preseason Finale
Final: Giants 12, Patriots 9: The preseason is over, and the score pretty much shows just how exciting New England's preseason finale was on Thursday night.
View: Patriots-Giants Box Score
Ryan Lindley played the whole game under center, going 22-for-45 for 253 yards and an interception. He won't be employed by the Patriots in 48 hours, but someone else may want to take a flyer on him as a backup.
Aaron Dobson led all New England receivers with four catches for 56 yards on six targets, but was still his inconsistent self. He will likely earn a spot on the roster based on New England's health concerns, but Chris Harper will make that decision a little harder after making a pair of nice catches in the fourth quarter.
LeGarrette Blount, suspended for Week 1, ran for 24 yards on 10 carries, adding 54 yards on four receptions. He looked better than he has all preseason, a good sign when he's back on the field in Week 2.
Reggie Wayne was targeted 10 times early on, but was only able to come down with a pair of receptions. A lot of that had to do with Lindley's accuracy, but Wayne has some catching up to do.
On defense, Trey Flowers looked very impressive with five tackles, including one for a loss, a pass deflection and a pair of QB hits.
Logan Ryan and Robert McClain didn't do much to secure their spots on the roster, but someone has to make it. Rosters have to be down to 53 players by 4pm on Saturday, so Bill Belichick and his staff have some decisions to make.
But that will do it for the preseason for the Patriots and we can shift our focus to the regular season. There isn't much time to wait either, with the Patriots opening the 2015 NFL season next Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And we now know that Tom Brady will be under center after the Patriots raise their Super Bowl XLIX banner. The regular season can't come soon enough.
4th Quarter, 00:59: That should do it. Lindley was just stripped by Domontre Moore, and Nikita Whitlock scooped it up.
Just when the fans were getting into it too.
4th Quarter, 1:45: Blount continues to make the most of his playing time tonight, scampering for 23-yards after a short pass from Lindley. The Pats will set up shop at the New York 10-yard line with a fresh set of downs.
4th Quarter, 2:01: The Patriots defense forced a Giants punt, and will take over at the New York 45 after a 16-yard return by newcomer Jalen Saunders.
4th Quarter, 2:57: Kenneth Harper went looking for a hole, trying to kill some clock for New York, but instead found Trey Flowers for a three-yard loss.
Impressive night for Flowers, who a tackle and four assists.
4th Quarter, 3:12: A Lindley pass on 3rd-and-9 pin-balled off Blount and into the hands of Stevie Brown, ending a possible scoring chance for the Patriots.
New York takes over at their own 10-yard line.
4th Quarter, 5:08: Chris Harper is fighting to make this roster, and just made a very nice grab over the middle for eight yards. After making the grab, he had to fight a few New York defenders to hold onto the ball and pick up the first down.
He followed that up with a nice leaping grab along the sidelines for another 19 yards.
And he made those grabs in a driving rain.
4th Quarter, 6:52: Just to make things a little more interesting, it has decided to start raining at Gillette.
4th Quarter, 8:13 -- Giants 12, Patriots 9: The Giants have another lead thanks to another Boswell field goal, this one from 41-yards out.
The boot came after Trey Flowers nearly picked off Nassib, jumping up to deflect a ball and nearly coming down with the ball. It was a good play by a player looking to get noticed as the preseason comes to a close.
4th Quarter, 11:37: Another tough play for Tavon Wilson, who was just burned by tight end Jerome Cunningham for a 33-yard grab down the sidelines. It was decent coverage by Wilson, but he lost Cunningham when he turned around to look for the ball.
4th Quarter, 12:26 -- Patriots 9, Giants 9: We're tied again, so all of you who want overtime can rejoice again.
Gostkowski kicked a 50-yarder to knot things up at 9-9. James White had 27 of New England's 40 yards on the drive.
4th Quarter, 13:38: James White is giving Patriots fans a reason to watch right now.
The potential third-down back has back-to-back receptions for 10 and 11 yards, respectively, his first two catches of the night. He's looked pretty solid as a rusher tonight, picking up 36 yards on 10 carries.
There's a very good chance White takes over for Vereen this season.
3rd Quarter, 00:45 -- Giants 9, Patriots 6: Ryan did make amends, getting to Nassib as he tried to run for a first. Instead the QB met with Ryan at the line of scrimmage, forcing another New York field goal.
At least this one isn't tied anymore. For that, we should be thankful.
3rd Quarter, 2:31: Logan Ryan was the victim of a nice pick by the Giants, which sprung UMass alum Julian Talley for a 19-yard gain.
3rd Quarter, 6:06: We're just trading punts right now. And it's as exciting as it sounds.
An offensive holding call on Zach D'Orazio didn't help, giving Lindley a 1st-and-20 to deal with right off the bat. James White picked up two yards on a second down run, but two Lindley incomplete passes forced another Allen punt.
Old friend Brandon Meriweather was whistled for holding on the punt, so at least he didn't take anyone's head off. Not a good sign for Meriweather though, playing special teams late in preseason game No. 4.
3rd Quarter, 8:40: LeGarrette Blount had a nice 16-yard catch and run to pick up a first down, but that's all that was doing for the Patriots on their latest drive. He has two receptions for 28 yards on the evening.
Lindley took a sack on third down, setting up another punt by Ryan Allen. There was some New York laundry on the field after Preston Parker's 30-yard return, so they'll be taking it from their own 10-yard line.
3rd Quarter, 10:57: The Giants picked up 24 yards on eight plays, but only got to their own 44 before being forced to punt by the New England defense.
Logan Ryan was out there for most of the drive, so this could be his final chance to lock down a roster spot.
Ryan Lindley is heading back out there, so we may not see any Garoppolo tonight.
End 1st Half -- Giants 6, Patriots 6: Both teams settled for a pair of field goals in the first half.
So we just have one half of preseason football left, ladies and gentlemen. We'll get through this together.
Ryan Lindley will likely be out of a job in the next 48 hours, he found Dobson for a 19-yard grab in the middle of the field. A few plays later, he hit Asante Cleveland for 26 yards to get the Pats to the New York 21
After his tosses to Wayne and Dobson were too high, the Pats got a big run from James White. On 3rd-and-10, White made a nice run to pick up nine yards, changing direction a few times, which turned into a first down thanks to some unnecessary roughness by the Giants defense.
A few plays later Gostkowski put a 33-yarder through the uprights to tie things up at 6-6.
Lindley went 10-for-24 for 141 yards, with Dobson his top receiver with four receptions for 54 yards. Wayne has two receptions for 24 yards on a team-high 10 targets.
Just 30 more minutes of the preseason until we get to look ahead to Week 1. It's almost over.
2nd Quarter, 2:39 -- Giants 6, Patriots 3: Why not have a battle of field goals to close out the preseason.
Stephen Gostkowski boots a pedestrian 34-yarder to put the Patriots on the board. The 14-play drive was their best of the game, highlighted by the 24-yard reception by Dobson and 12-yard catch by Blount.
2nd Quarter, 3:55: LeGarrette Blount is seeing some meaningful minutes in this one, and just made a nice catch and run on 3rd-and-11 to pick up 12 yards and a first down.
These are good reps for Blount, who has to sit out Week 1 due to a suspension stemming from his time with Pittsburgh last season.
2nd Quarter, 5:15: Aaron Dobson ran a very nice route and turned a short pass into a 24-yard gain, but then dropped a potential touchdown on a deep go-route in the end zone. That's a perfect way to sum up Aaron Dobson at the moment.
The Patriots went for it on 4th-and-4, and got a helping hand from Jayron Hosley, who was flagged for illegal contact on Reggie Wayne.
2nd Quarter, 6:50: Some fans are chanting for Brady, likely unaware that their QB isn't there tonight.
That, or they just don't want to see any more of Ryan Lindley.
2nd Quarter, 7:56 -- Giants 6, Patriots 0: Tight end Adrian Robinson dropped what would have been a tight end, so the Giants settle for another Boswell field goal.
Geremy Davis burned Dax Swanson down the sidelines for a big 40-yard play to help set up Boswell's boot.
2nd Quarter, 10:24: Robert McClain was flagged for unnecessary roughness after bringing receiver James Jones down hard out of bounds. Not a smart play for a bubble player, costing the Pats 15 yards.
2nd Quarter, 12:02: We have yet another New England punt, on yet another New England three-and-out.
After completing a 2-yard pass to newcomer Jalen Saunders, Lindley was sacked for an 8-yard loss on second down. James White ran for 11 yards on a nice scamper, but it wasn't enough that was it for the drive.
The officials had to repeat the fourth down snap because they weren't lined up properly. It's still preseason for everyone.
End of 1st Quarter -- Giants 3, Patriots 0: The first quarter has come to an end, and there really isn't much to say about this one. Ryan Lindley hasn't looked very good, going 5-for-11 for 38 yards. He looked to get into a rhythm on New England's last offensive drive, but overthrew Reggie Wayne on third down and forced another Patriots punt.
The biggest cheers of the evening came when the Patriots showed a fan with a sign reading "Judge Berman For President."
1st Quarter, 00:42: And it was all for nothing, as Lindley goes wayyyyy over Wayne's head on a 3rd-and-9 look, and the Patriots are forced to punt again.
Very exciting stuff to close out the preseason tonight.
1st Quarter, 1:36: Back-to-back nice grabs by Dobson and Wayne to move the chains for the Patriots.
Dobson had a nice play action grab to pick up nine yards, followed by Wayne grabbing a 3rd-and-1 pass along the sidelines to pick up 18 yards.
1st Quarter, 4:40 -- Giants 3, Patriots 0: Branch's blunder cost the Patriots three points, as Chris Boswell capped off the 10-play drive with a 34-yarder to give the Giants a lead.
1st Quarter, 6:45: Very bad penalty by veteran Alan Branch, who was whistled for a late hit on after Ryan had run Nassib out of bounds for no gain on a 3rd-and-9.
Not the play you want to see out of a guy fighting for a job.
1st Quarter, 7:59: It's another three-and-out for the Patriots offense, and they didn't get any help from instant replay on a special teams play.
It looked like Ryan Allen's punt hit off the knee of New York's Mike Harris, allowing Logan Ryan to track it down and fall on it at the New York 41. But after a review the officials upheld the call on the field, which was a recovery by New York.
Blount ran for three yards before Lindley threw two more incomplete passes, both to Reggie Wayne.
1st Quarter, 9:22: They just played a tribute video for Tom Brady, which had Gillette Stadium cheering for their quarterback.
Brady isn't in the house to hear it though, as he is one of several veterans sent home by Bill Belichick. Gotta wonder just how much of this one he is going to watch.
1st Quarter, 9:22: Ryan Nassib completed a few nice passes for the Giants on their first drive, but a facemask penalty had them facing a 1st-and-25 that they couldn't overcome. Nassib hit Dwayne Harris on a 3rd-and-7 conversion (with Logan Ryan on coverage) and then Rueben Randle for eight yards over Robert McClain.
Shane Vereen had a nice four-yard carry on the drive, and received a few boos from Patriots fans.
1st Quarter, 14:11: The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive, which is very unlike the Patriots.
It wasn't a very successful first series for Ryan Lindley, who threw two passes to Reggie Wayne that the receiver couldn't catch. LeGarrette Blount also did nothing on a second down run, losing five yards on a carry up the middle, as the Patriots go three-and-out. Pretty standard offensive start for the Patriots this preseason.
Pregame -- 7:26pm: We're just about set for the final kickoff of the preseason. Patriots president Jonathan Kraft had some very interesting comments when he joined Marc Bertrand and Chris Gasper on 98.5 The Sports Hub a few minutes ago, especially when it comes to the team raising their Super Bowl banner next week.
Kraft said there was no way the Pats would have raised that banner without Brady, but they did have a backup plan. He hinted they had a Brady-themed banner ready to go if their star QB had to sit out any games for the whole DeflateGate mess.
And now, we'll shift our focus to football.
Pregame -- 6:55pm: Think Bill Belichick has anything to say about today's ruling by Judge Richard Berman? Of course not.
"We're just going to keep preparing like we've been doing. It doesn't affect us tonight," Belichick told Scott Zolak on 98.5 The Sports Hub just a few minutes ago.
Belichick did say he's happy with the way his team has ignore the noise this preseason.
"We can't control a lot of things that go on outside of the building. We just work hard, try to get better. It's pretty much the goal every day," he said.
Belichick did say that they began preparing for the Pittsburgh Steelers this past week, and it's been a bit of a "split squad" situation with the players not hitting the field tonight getting ready for Week 1 over the last few days.
Pregame -- 6:45pm: There's a football game to be played at Gillette Stadium tonight, but all the buzz is about a player who won't even see the field on this lovely September evening.
New England fans and the Patriots themselves got the best possible news early Thursday morning, as Judge Richard Berman vacated Tom Brady's four-game suspension, making the quarterback free to play one week from tonight when the Pats kick off the 2015 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And with Brady on the field, they'll also be adding another piece of decor to Gillette Stadium:
But before we can get to all that fun that next week will bring, we have one final preseason game to get through. Brady and New England's other No. 1s aren't expected to suit up tonight against the New York Giants, as they hit the practice fields for a pretty rigorous workout just short time ago. And with the news about No. 12 today, this will (hopefully) be the last look we get at Jimmy Garoppolo until next preseason. Nothing against Garoppolo, who has been entertaining to watch this preseason, but we'd much rather see Tom Brady suit up for 16 regular season games and three (or four) playoff games.
Jimmy G isn't even getting the start tonight, so get ready for a healthy serving of Ryan Lindley.
There are a few players who could save their roster spot (essentially spots 48-53) or a trip to the practice squad with a good showing tonight as well, so there's plenty of moving parts to keep an eye on in this game that means very little in the grand scheme of things.
Logan Ryan and Robert McClain appear to be battling it out for the right to play behind Malcolm Butler, Tarell Brown and Bradley Fletcher at corner. Ryan has regressed a bit throughout camp and during the preseason, so he'll have to show some improvement, even if it is against the scrubs of the Giants. We'll have to wait and see who is lining up with Dax Swanson (who won't be making the cut come Saturday afternoon) in the fourth quarter of this one.
A little closer to the line, Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner will be battling it out for the right to be the team's fifth safety and a special teams contributor. There's also Zach Moore, who is likely competing against Rufus Johnson to lock down the final spot on the defensive line.
On offense, there are a bunch of question marks when it comes to the health in Brady's receiving corps. Julian Edelman should be OK, but Brandon LaFell has yet to see the field after wearing a walking boot for most of the offseason. That will likely mean a spot for Aaron Dobson, who didn't really have to earn it this season. He wasn't very impressive last Friday against the Panthers, so even though his job is likely safe, it would be nice to see Dobson have a good night against the Giants.
Dion Lewis has looked very good over the last month and has likely earned a spot on the team, at least for the first week until LeGarrette Blount returns from suspension. Lewis's spot on the roster will probably come at the expense of Travaris Cadet, who may get one final shot at making the team after missing the majority of camp and the preseason with a hamstring injury. It's unlikely, but we'll see.
We'll be breaking down everything that happens between the numbers tonight, so stick with CBSBoston.com for all the updates. You can also hear the game on 98.5 The Sports Hub (and listen live online, for you New Englanders not using a mobile device) and watch it on WBZ-TV, with full postgame shows on both networks following the game.
