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This was the most vicious Patriots defense we’ve seen since they were winning Super Bowls
In the Patriots’ 33-15 victory over the Giants, the defense, led by linebacker Christian Elliss, set a violent tone almost immediately.
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story
I say this with appreciation for what we saw Monday night, and a bit of surprise, too:
When, exactly, did the Patriots defense get so vicious?
In the Patriots’ 33-15 victory over the Giants, the defense, led by linebacker Christian Elliss, set a violent tone almost immediately.
To a man, they walloped the Giants like they were trying to somehow avenge the two Super Bowl losses (sorry), or that quarterback Jaxson Dart had made a mean Tik-Tok about one of their family members, or that they were out to prove they’re on their way to earning a cool nickname, like the Legion of Boom or the Steel Curtain.
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OK, maybe they weren’t quite that dominating, but this was the most vicious – yes, that is the right word – that a Patriots defense has been since they were winning Super Bowls. That, given their 10 straight wins and 11-2 record, appears to be on their collective to-do list once again.
Elliss, who finished with 10 tackles, was the Patriots’ chief clobberer. He crushed Dart – who has a promising future if he can stop courting injury – along the sideline after a 12-yard run, a legal hit that nonetheless led to a brief fight and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the Giants. Elliss – yet another Patriot who has improved under this coaching staff – later knocked Giants punt returner Gunner Olszewski from the game (and forced a fumble, recovered by the Patriots) late in the second quarter with an accidental but brutal helmet-to-helmet hit.
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It wasn’t just Elliss. Harold Landry had an early big hit on Dart, Jaylinn Hawkins picked up a penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit, and cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III even got in on the fun.
The Patriots defense has been solid, if unspectacular, virtually all season. But they’ve never been as relentless and mean as they were Monday night.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
Three players who were worth watching
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Brian Burns, Stefon Diggs, Andy Borregales
Marcus Jones: The Patriots have had their share of electrifying punt returners throughout their history. Mike Haynes, who returned two punts for touchdowns and averaged 13.1 yards per return as a rookie in 1976, has always been the standard-bearer to me. Julian Edelman … Troy Brown … Wes Welker … Irving Fryar, at least when he wasn’t leaving the stadium at halftime … they all have a case. But Jones, who rocketed his way to a 94-yard touchdown return when the Giants punted to conclude their second possession, might be better than all of them. He’s already been an All-Pro, as a rookie in 2022, and he might be even more dangerous now that he’s added some savvy. Jones has taken two to the house this season, and with three punt return TDs in his career, he’s just one behind Edelman for the franchise record.
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Hunter Henry: Drake Maye played this game as if he had a pithy line often attributed to Tom Brady on his mind: My favorite receiver is the open one. Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 282 yards (207 in the first half) and 2 touchdowns, spreading the ball around to eight pass-catchers. Henry and Kayshon Boutte each had four, while five other Patriots had three receptions. Henry, who led the Patriots with 7 catches for a career-high 115 yards last week against the Bengals, led the way again with 73 receiving yards. (Talk about balance: Seven other Patriots tallied between 19 and 40 receiving yards.) The dependable tight end contributed a couple of long gainers – a 36-yarder that preceded Boutte’s 3-yard TD catch to put the Patriots up 17-0, and an easy catch-and-run for 20 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter. Another big play – a 30-yard touchdown catch – was wiped out due to an illegal shift penalty. Had it stood, Maye would have surpassed 300 passing yards for the first time in his career.
Devin Singletary. If any Giants player deserves an acknowledgment, it’s probably the six-year veteran and former Bill. Singletary scored the Bills’ second touchdown on a nifty 22-yard run on third-and-5 after a fake reverse, trimming the Patriots’ lead to 30-15 on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter. His 68 rushing yards were the second-most a running back has had against the Patriots this season, after the Bengals’ Chase Brown’s 107 last week. In total, Singletary finished with 102 total yards on 15 touches.
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Grievance of the game
A grievance? A gripe? From this game? That’s tough to find. Is it Bryce Baringer’s 22-yard punt? Not great, but didn’t hurt ‘em. A slight hint at a momentum shift in the minutes before Baringer’s shank, when Darius Slayton caught a 30-yard touchdown pass against blown coverage to cut the Patriots’ lead to 17-7? Eh, I doubt anyone was worried. I suppose the grievance is that we don’t get to watch these guys play next Sunday, now that their well-earned bye has finally arrived. Hey, you try to come up with something. They’ve won 10 in a row!
Three notes scribbled in the margins
Predicted final score: Patriots 34, Giants 24
Final score: Patriots 33, Giants 15
Thought that was an A+ broadcast from ESPN and broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Buck has always called the big (and biggest) moments masterfully. When Jones hit the accelerator on his punt return touchdown, Buck’s two shouts of “Still going!” perfectly aligned with a pair of missed tackles. Aikman, meanwhile, doesn’t get as much pub as another ex-Cowboys quarterback-turned-analyst, but he’s good-naturedly blunt, and that makes him the most enjoyable color analyst currently calling the NFL … Kyle Williams, who hauled in a beautiful Maye throw for a 33-yard touchdown, has officially reached Must Be Accounted For status … The Patriots offensive line did a heck of a job making Giants pass-rusher extraordinaire Brian Burns invisible for most of the game. He finished with 2 tackles and a single, lonely QB hit.
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