Breaking down the New England Patriots’ 27-26 victory against the New York Giants.

What we’ll be talking about: New England’s comeback. Down two points with 1:47 left to play, quarterback Tom Brady engineered yet another game-winning drive, capped by a 54-yard field goal by kicker Stephen Gostkowski. New England showed why it continues to be one of the best teams in the NFL. But at times, the Patriots looked vulnerable. But even though the Giants lost this one, did they lay out a blueprint on how to topple the Patriots? They had the most success against Brady when they generated pressure and disrupted him in the pocket. That, however, isn’t exactly a secret. Everyone in the NFL knows that. The biggest flaw New York exposed was in New England’s secondary, where quarterback Eli Manning threw for a career-high 251 passing yards in the first half. The Patriots defensive backs were gashed for explosive gains time and time again in the first two quarters. But like coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots usually do, they adjusted after halftime, and limited Manning more effectively.

The big picture: The Giants (5-5) gave a valiant effort, but it still wasn’t enough. The Patriots (9-0) continue to look like one of the best — if not the top — teams in the NFL, and that’s even when they played one of their worst games of the season. The Giants, meanwhile, had a chance to make a huge statement, not only in their division after the Philadelphia Eagles (4-5) lost earlier on Sunday, but also to the rest of the league. That means the NFC East continues to be wide open, where the Washington Redskins (4-5) still have a shot. And even though the Dallas Cowboys (2-7) look awful, they’re still just two losses back in the standings and have quarterback Tony Romo returning next week.

Missed chance: The Giants had a massive whiff early in the fourth quarter after linebacker Jasper Brinkley strip-sacked Brady, allowing New York to recover the ball at New England’s 31-yard line. The Giants held a 23-17 lead, and with excellent field position, had a chance to completely take over the game. Instead, New York ran three plays and lost 11 yards, eventually punting the ball. Three plays later, Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 76-yard touchdown, which proved to be a pivotal score late in the game.

Reversing the trend: Giants coach Tom Coughlin entered this game with a 5-1 career coaching record against Belichick. Two of those victories earned New York Super Bowl championships. Two others came when Coughlin was the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Belichick was the coach of the Cleveland Browns. But Sunday night, Belichick closed the gap in what was an exceptional, back-and-forth thriller.

Up next: The Patriots host the Buffalo Bills (5-4) in Foxborough, Mass., for Monday Night Football, while the Giants enjoy their bye in Week 11 before traveling to Washington to face the Redskins.

SOURCE: Lorenzo Reyes
USA TODAY