Facing Tom Brady and the Patriots high-powered offense was no easy task for the offense, but in the early going of Thursday's 35-14 defeat, the Giants defense held tough.

The final stats for New England were gaudy, as they piled up 427 yards of total offense, including 334 through the air.

On the Patriots first seven drives,though, the Giants defense held them to just 148 yards of total offense (just 21.1 per drive), and 53 of those yards game on the Pats' opening drive, which ended with a fourth-down stop by the Giants defense.

But as the Patriots have done so many times over the year, the offense rebounded and put things together, racking up 274 yards on their final five possessions (54.8 per drive), which included two touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

Still, the Giants defense managed to hold their own, at least in the first half) against one of the best offenses the NFL has to offer.

"I thought they battled," Pat Shurmur said of the defense after the game. "They gave us a chance to win the game."

"We made a lot of plays on the ball. We just have to limit the big plays, missed tackles," said Jabrill Peppers. "I think you guys will start to see a defense that the Giants are accustomed to."

Not only did the Giants find ways early on to keep the Patriots at bay, but the unit also put points on the board on their own.

With just over four and a half minutes remaining in the first half, Lorenzo Carter made his way to Brady, forcing the fumble. Markus Golden, did the rest, scooping and scoring from 42 yards out to tie the game at 14-14

"I wasn't stopping, because I wanted to do it for my team," Golden said about his touchdown. "I know my son Markus Jr., he was up watching me play, so I had to make sure I finished that play for him."

The Giants defense forced two turnovers on the night, and while the final score didn't go in their favor, there's still enough the team can take from this performance as a defense.

"We can build off this," said Janoris Jenkins, who intercepted Brady in the first quarter. "That's a good team over there, I don't want to take nothing from them, a Hall of Fame quarterback. We've just got to keep playing and playing better.

"We've just got to get more (turnovers). Two was not enough tonight, unfortunately."

Popular in the Community