The New England Patriots are beating the New York Giants, 7-6, after one quarter of 2010 NFL preseason action Thursday night in NY.
Both teams are performing well on offense, but defense has been very suspect thus far.
On their very first drive of the game, the Giants marched the ball downfield with ease on the Pats' defense and eventually quarterback Eli Manning hooked up with tight end Kevin Boss on a 13-yard scoring strike at the 10 minute, 52 second mark.
However, the Patriots got great field position thanks to a 55-yard kickoff return by Thomas Clayton to the Giants' 45-yard line. Nine plays later, quarterback Tom Brady threw a bullet to rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 5-yard touchdown.
The score should be tied, but the Giants botched the extra point and couldn't convert the unplanned two-point play.
Brady finished the night completing 4-of-8 passes for 51 yards, with one touchdown and an interception off an under thrown deep ball intended for wide receiver Randy Moss.
Meanwhile, Manning had a strong night, connecting on 7-of-9 passes for 91 yards and one touchdown with no picks. However, he did nearly fumble the ball away to the defense on one play, but that was the only blemish on an otherwise great game in limited action.
The Patriots, who will be missing defensive lineman Ty Warren and cornerback Leigh Bodden this season due to injuries, The Boston Globe reports, appear to be struggling in the secondary with rookie Devin McCourty trying to fill the void by Bodden, the team's best corner.
The Patriots also seem to have some communication breakdowns in the linebacking area, especially with rookie Brandon Spikes finding himself out of position occasionally and Jerod Mayo still trying to learn the position held down by linebacker Tedy Bruschi for so long before retiring prior to last season.
It will be interesting to see if either team will be ready to go when the season begins next weekend. If tonight is any indication, defensive questions for both teams remain, while the offenses look pretty good.
*Source: WBZ (TV).
*Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.
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