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Giants Take 7-0 Halftime Lead Over Patriots

New York breaks the scoreless deadlock with two minutes to go in the half.
Patricia Traina|
Giants Take 7-0 Halftime Lead Over Patriots
Giants Take 7-0 Halftime Lead Over Patriots

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New York GiantsNew England Patriots

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New York Giants have a 7-0 lead over the New England Patriots in their Sunday game at MetLife Stadium.

Both teams held each other scoreless in the first quarter, though both had chances of getting on the board. 

New York put together an impressive opening drive, but then they got too cute with the play call. Quarterback Tommy DeVito, making his third career start, pitched to Wan'Dale Robinson, who lined up in the backfield. Unfortunately, Robinson couldn't find the handle, and former Giants safety Jabrill Peppers recovered the loose ball.

The Patriots, however, couldn't capitalize off the Giants' turnover, going three-and-out.

With the two teams exchanging drives in the first quarter, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones appeared to get his team moving in the right direction. However, his pass intended for receiver Demario Douglas on 2nd-and-7 was picked off by Giants cornerback Deonte Banks to snuff out the drive.  

With the Giants setting up shop on their 43-yard line following that turnover, running back Saquon Barkley ripped off a 19-yard run to close out the quarter. But the Giants' drive stalled on their 35-yard line as the Giants declined to try a field goal by kicker Randy Bullock. Instead, New York took a delay of game penalty on fourth down after unsuccessfully trying to draw the Patriots offside.

The Patriots had another golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard in the second quarter, but Jones threw his second interception of the game, this one coming when Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke picked off a pass intended for Douglas and returned it 55 yards to give the Giants 1st-and-10 on the Patriots 26-yard line.

This time, the Giants cashed in on the Patriots miscue. On 3rd-and-10 from the Patriots' 12, DeVito connected with receiver Isaiah Hodgins for the 12-yard touchdown, capping a six-play, 26-yard drive spanning 2:34 to give the Giants the 7-0 halftime lead. On the play, Hodgins broke a tackle attempt by Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones.

The Giants continued to stay ahead of the Patriots when outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux forced a fumble against Jones on their final drive of the half. However, the Patriots recovered the ball.

BLUE NOTES

DeVito is 10 of 17 for 117 yards and one touchdown, while Jones is 12 of 21 for 89 yards and two interceptions.

Giants defensive lineman Jordon Riley, in for Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), suffered a finger injury in the first half, and his return was questionable. 

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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