Patriots fall 6-3 to the Giants

Lawrence Tynes’ two field goals were enough for the New York Giants to defeat the Patriots 6-3 in the final preseason game.

With 2:27 left to go in the game, Marcus Thomas picked up a fumble, giving the Giants a chance to take the lead over the Patriots. Tynes kicked a 32-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining.

The first quarter was a punt-fest. The Patriots had two first downs over the Giants’ one and 43 total yards to the Giants' 26. Ryan Mallet started the first quarter and didn’t look out of place. Mallet was 8/15 recording 40 yards and had zero interceptions and did not record a touchdown, but neither did Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning.

Manning and his offense struggled against New England’s much improved defense. Jermaine Cunningham drove right through the Giants O-line and sacked last year’s Super Bowl MVP resulting in a loss of 14 yards - one of his two sacks on the night.

With 8:27 left in the second quarter, kicker Stephen Gostkowski put the Patriots on the board with a 20-yard field goal giving the Patriots a 3-0 lead over the Giants.

New England running back Brandon Bolden was stellar as he had 15 carries and 59 yards. The Patriots' running game has improved along with their defense. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez did not step on the field at all.

At 7:30 in the third quarter, Tynes tied the game 3-3 for the Giants.

Hoyer stepped in for Mallet in the third quarter using Jeff Demps, the former Olympian, on numerous drives.

Although New England have gone 1-4 this preseason, the team still looks solid and is still considered to be a powerhouse.

There are cuts to be made and the Patriots’ final roster will travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans on September 9th for the first regular season game.