Patriots' First Preseason Drive: How Does Defense Look?
FOXBORO, Mass. -- It's here. Football season is here. With a swing of his leg, Jake Bailey officially kicked off the New England Patriots preseason.
The defense started with its second-string players, whereas the New York Giants offense consisted of the starters.
After stuffing a run from Giants running back Saquon Barkley for three yards and a sweep to receiver Darius Slayton for two, the team gave up a scramble up the middle to quarterback Daniel Jones for a seven-yard gain and a first down on third-and-5.
The defense struggled briefly from there. The defense gave up two straight 17-yard competitions -- one on a screen pass and another on a play-action slant pass.
Though the defense did force another third down inside the 30-yard line, the Pats had too many men on the field and the penalty gave New York a first town on third-and-5.
Yet, the defense remained stout in the red zone, stuffing two runs and forcing an incompletion on a levels concept -- the pass breakup went to veteran Malcolm Butler.
New York converted the chip shot field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Importantly, the defensive line looked stout at times, with the secondary showing hints of slow play. With the offense line struggling for the Patriots throughout camp, this early success from the defensive line offers some promise entering the season.
As a whole, this is the first true scrimmage for the 2022 Patriots. After a surprisingly light training camp with multiple days of padded practice but very little actual contact, initial growing pains are to be expected. Especially considering the offense's well-publicized struggles.
On the other side of the field is a Giants squad led by new coach Brian Daboll. A former Patriots assistant and most recently the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, he was the engineer of one of the most explosive passing attacks in recent football memory last season.
Despite New York quarterback Daniel Jones struggling to live up to his No. 6 overall draft hype, Daboll's presence as an offensive mastermind presents a solid challenge for the Patriots defense.
