How Patriots Showed ‘toughness' In Dominant Win Over Giants

How Patriots showed ‘toughness' in dominant win over Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Sure, it was the lowly New York Giants, but the New England Patriots made a statement with their 33-15 victory on Monday Night Football.

Mike Vrabel’s group wasted little time asserting its dominance on a national stage. In the first quarter, Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss set the tone with a punishing hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. The collision sparked a skirmish on the sideline, but it was a clean hit on a rookie QB who has yet to learn how to protect himself.

The Patriots also overcame their first real taste of adversity this season. They excelled in protecting quarterback Drake Maye despite missing two starting offensive linemen — tackle Will Campbell and guard Jared Wilson — due to injuries.

Even though it was against one of the NFL’s worst teams, the way in which the Patriots went about their business in Week 13 made it one of their most impressive wins of the season. Phil Perry shared his takeaway on Postgame Live.

“Both these teams had a bye week ahead, and the Patriots sprinted through the finish tonight,” Perry said. “Just with the effort, the focus, the level of physicality that you could hear through the speakers in your living rooms. That impressed me to no end, the level of effort and toughness that they brought to the field today, having played 13 consecutive games and executing the way they did tonight.”

Fellow Patriots insider Tom E. Curran agreed with Perry’s assessment, noting players who stepped up in the wake of injuries to key contributors.

“We talked all week about the adversity washing up on their shores. How would they react to it?” Curran said. “To see them come out with the litany of injuries — not just the ones that happened in the last game, but Milton Williams — and to see the kinds of guys contributing from Kyle Williams to Kayshon Boutte again to the way (TreVeyon) Henderson ran in the second half.”

The Patriots have had more impressive wins this season, such as their 42-13 rout of the Carolina Panthers and their 23-20 victory in Buffalo, but former Pats linebacker Ted Johnson puts Monday night’s win up there with those triumphs.

“They were ready to go from the jump. This might be one of my top two favorite games they’ve played this year,” Johnson said. “Those bye weekends can be tricky. Those games before the bye weeks, you have to be concerned about focus, and are guys locked in? You talk about being ready from the jump.”

It was a gleeful night from start to finish in Foxboro as the Patriots earned their 10th consecutive victory. The lopsided win put them back on top in the AFC standings with an 11-2 record.

New England will hope to pick up where it left off after its Week 14 bye. Vrabel’s club will return to action Sunday, Dec. 14 with a rematch against the Bills at home.