Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes, both to rookie Quentin Sims, and George Winn bullied his way for 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground as the New England Patriots' second and third teams beat the New York Giants 28-20 in the preseason finale for both at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Thursday night.
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| Josh Boyce hauls in a touchdown pass |
The Giants played their starters for the majority of the first quarter, while the Patriots elected to sit theirs - and as a result, Belichick's already difficult task of cutting his roster from 75 players down to 53 by Saturday evening got a little harder, as his reserves outplayed the Giants' starters.
Ryan Mallett played the first half for New England, going 10 of 16 for 117 yards and a 40 yard strike to rookie Josh Boyce for a touchdown, then gave way to Tebow for the second half - who ran six times for 30 yards, but also was sacked 4 times, his own indecision coupled with sloppy line play ending his first two drives in ugly fashion...
...but Tebow seemed to settle in the more time he had on the field and began moving the Patriots forward instead of backwards.
Sims, the undrafted rookie out of Tennessee-Martin may have played his way onto the practice squad at the very least as he made athletic plays to come down with both touchdown throws, as did Winn, the undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati, who finished runs in bruising style all night.
Boyce caught two passes for 44 yards and the touchdown and added two carries for 18 yards on the ground, finally showing his 4.34 speed in the process.
Aaron Dobson was victimized on several poor throws and was the target on both interceptions, and almost a third as he showed poor effort in trying to break up the theft, but still managed three catches - and rookie sensation Kenbrell Thompkins dominated in his limited time on the field, catching only two passes for 24 yards, but also drawing two pass interference penalties against the overmatched Giants' corners.
But the real story of the night belonged with the Patriots' defense and 7th round draft pick Michael Buchanan. The gangly defensive end was unblockable, accounting for 2.5 sacks, numerous hurries and a forced fumble. Former Cleveland Brown Marcus Benard and recently resigned Scott Vallone also chipped in with sacks.
Linebacker Steve Beauharnais made a case for a roster spot with seven tackles and fumble recovery, and was also caught doing the dirty work of plugging running lanes on several occasions, and with defensive ends Buchanan and the previously invisible Jake Bequette setting the edge and turning the backs in toward the middle, the Patriots run defense stymied the Giants' running game to the tune of 3.3 yards per carry...
...and the news got worse for the Giants as main backup running back Andre Brown broke his left leg late in the first half - a huge blow to the Giants that were planning on using him extensively to spell starter David Wilson
The Patriots' secondary had a marvelous game as a unit, corners Logan Ryan and Marquice Cole defending two passes a piece and showing slick recovery skill, while Duron Harmon overcame a slow start in centerfield to put together a solid effort on the back end.
But while several players grew their stock on the roster watch, some bubble players seemed to secure their own fate with less than inspiring play.
Neither safety named Wilson had a great game, and punt returner Leon Washington had a mostly down night, breaking one for 43 yards down the sideline, but fumbling a later attempt as he tried to field it off the ground - a ball that he should have let bounce. But even with turnovers still a concern with the offense and frequently giving the opposition excellent field position in the process, the Patriots' defense has shined.
Now comes the really tough part, telling 22 players who have all played well when given the opportunity that they aren't quite good enough, though eight of them should find their way back to the Patriots' practice squad after clearing waivers...
...but given the excellence in which most of them played on Thursday evening, clearing waivers without being claimed by another team suddenly seems like a longshot.
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