The New England Patriots nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Thursday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants. But then the jaws clamped down late in the fourth quarter, and the Patriots lost their way.
The Giants engineered a 69-yard game-winning drive that was capped off by a walk-off field goal by kicker Graham Gano, who helped hand the Patriots a 23-21 loss at Gillette Stadium.
There was still uncertainty on the offensive side of the ball with the Patriots trying to decide between Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to handle the play-calling. It wasn’t an absolute disaster on the field, and the Patriots did have multiple players step up to make plays for a unit that has been heavily scrutinized this week.
Here are the winners and losers for Thursday night’s preseason opener.