The New England Patriots finished the 2013 preseason on a high note, beating the New York Giants 28-20 on Thursday night.
Giants vs. Patriots: New York fans concerned with injuries, New England fans impressed by backups
The Giants and Patriots ended the preseason heading in two different directions.
Jared Wickerham
The Giants played their starters for three series, but after that it was all backups doing the work for both sides. The results for New England were promising. Alec Shane of Pats Pulpit, SB Nation's Patriots blog, came away impressed with the play of backup quarterback Ryan Mallett.
Mallett had one of his strongest games in a Patriots uniform, finishing the day with 10 completions on 16 attempts for 117 yards, a TD, and a pick (although the interception wasn’t really his fault)., He made good decisions, threw with purpose and accuracy, and led a few scoring drives. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Mallett has officially turned the corner, but it’s good to see him finish the preseason strong.
New York was more concerned with its injury situation. Backup running back Andre Brown, who was expected to share carries with David Wilson, fractured his leg on Thursday night. While Brown insists the injury is not as serious as the broken leg that ended his season in 2012, Ed Valentine of Big Blue View, SB Nation's Giants Blog, can't help but be concerned about the growing list of injuries.
The Giants already have offensive lineman David Baas and David Diehl recovering from injuries that will carry into the regular season. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and fullback Henry Hynoski are not certain to be ready for the season opener vs. the Dallas Cowboys. Adrien Robinson sustained a foot injury Thursday and Tyler Sash came out of the game with a concussion.
The Giants open up the regular season on the road against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots will head to Buffalo to take on the Bills on Sunday Sept. 8.
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