To be honest, I don't have a ton more to say about this game than I did on Monday night, then we broke a bunch of things down on Tuesday, and Giardi had some good thoughts that day as well.
You saw the game. The Patriots came with a chip on their shoulder, for whatever reason, and imposed their will on a Giants team that kind of crumpled once they saw the Patriots' intensity. Things might have been a little different had Abdul Carter played from the start because he was a pain in the rear, but it was 17-0 when he finally hit the field.
I guess the thing that stood out the most in watching the film was just how comfortable Drake Maye was in this game, despite being down two starters on the left side of the line. He was coming off a subpar performance (for him) against a Bengals defense that caused him to second-guess some things. There was none of that in this game. Some of it could have been a Giants defense that had a new defensive coordinator after Shane Bowen was fired last week. Charlie Bullen was no Al Golden of the Bengals, that's for sure. But most of it was about Maye.
He simply read the Giants like a book, both pre- and post-snap, knew his part in the protection plan to help Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown, and played the role of point guard perfectly. I agree with others that Maye reminded you of Tom Brady in his mastery of this offense. He was like a symphony conductor, and the Giants were his orchestra. His two pump fakes that freed Hunter Henry on the first and second drives just showed a player in complete command, let alone playing a huge role in the Patriots putting up the second-lowest pressure rate of this season, according to NGS (mine was a bit higher, but four of the pressures and two sacks were on the team - coverage or the Giants simply bringing more rushers than blockers, it's no one's fault).
I continue to be amazed how Maye makes corrections week to week. Something that was a weakness one week, like the Bengals game, is immediately solved and made a strength the following week. Again, that's something that's not normal for a 23-year-old, second-year quarterback.
In the end, I had to kind of nitpick to find minus plays — throws behind TreVeyon Henderson and Henry, a forced pass to Kayshon Boutte when Henry was open, and the unnecessary scramble on the final drive in the red zone. That's where he is right now. He's that good. Can't wait to see what happens against the Bills and Ravens.
Before we get into the unit ratings, player ratings and three up and three down, here's the video of the first two drives as I graded the film in real time:
Here are the positional ratings against the Giants:
OFFENSE
Quarterback (4 out of 5)
I have to leave room for him to have an outrageous game. It's coming. ... His touch on the touchdowns to Boutte and Kyle Williams was just chef's kiss.
Running backs (3 out of 5)
Rhamondre Stevenson looked his best in weeks, and he had two terrific blitz pickups. He did leave some yards on the field with a 4- and 2-yard run. ... I was pretty frustrated with Henderson (half stuff, drop, poor 2-yard run and a sack allowed in pass protection) for most of this game, but he showed some improvement with some broken tackles, and the 26-yard run. That's going to start to come more often as he gets more reps, but I would be thinking more for Year 2 than this year. Although he'll always been a home run threat on well-blocked plays.
Receivers (4 out of 5)
Outside of Demario Douglas' run blocking (for that reason, I'm not sure he's ever going to be a good fit for this offense) and a questionable drop by Henry on a ball slightly behind him near the left sideline, I loved everything about this group: Boutte's run blocking and route running, Diggs mastering the Edelman/Welker role of motioning into a zone void in key spots, Williams speeding around the cornerback, Henry's everything, and Mack Hollins making a tough 11-yard catch and his run blocking. ... This group is largely cooking.
Offensive line (4 out of 5)
This may have been the best performance of the season, all things considered. Maye was well protected, and the running game made some plays. ... The right side of the line was outstanding, especially with Morgan Moses in the run game. ... Lowe was very solid for his first full start. If this goes well, he's going to make a lot of money as a swing tackle. Wasn't perfect, but pretty good. ... Bradbury had a tough time with Dexter Lawrence when he wasn't doubled (as does everyone), but the plan by Doug Marrone and Josh McDaniels was very sound and well-executed.
DEFENSE
Defensive line (4.5 out of 5)
Only two minus plays for this entire group - Cory Durden and Jeremiah Pharms getting shoved out of their run gaps one time a piece. That's it. ... Still need Chaisson and Landry to bring more in the four-man pass rush. Hopefully they'll fill up their tanks during the bye week. ... Durden played with a huge chip on his shoulder after the Giants cut him. He dominated the poor interior of the Giants' line. ... Anfernee Jennings was excellent in his edge reps against the run. ... Christian Barmore started very slowly, got a little better in the second half. They will need him to dominate against the Bills and Ravens. ... Elijah Ponder popped with a sack and hurry.
Linebackers (4 out of 5)
Christian Elliss' physicality obviously set the tone, although he and Jaylinn Hawkins were responsible for the 26-yard wildcat touchdown run as both were multiple steps late figuring out what was happening. ... Marte Mapu only played four snaps but had two huge pass breakups.
Secondary (3 out of 5)
Hawkins had a really rough game (personal foul, two busted coverages that led to a touchdown, and the Singletary TD run) and Davis allowed an easy slant to start and missed a tackle, but everyone was largely good in this group. .... Christian Gonzalez is rounding into form, which is great news for the Patriots. ... Craig Woodson has been an underrated story on this team. He's starting to play like a veteran. He's showing up on film every week.
THREE UP
QB Drake Maye: He's starting to make this look really, really easy. And it's not.
LB Christian Elliss: He wasn't perfect at linebacker, but his hit on Dart changed the game, and his forced fumble was huge.
DT Cory Durden: He shut down the middle of the Giants' line.
THREE DOWN
S Jaylinn Hawkins: Need to see some improvement here or else the good teams will start to go after him.
P Bryce Baringer: This team will not be able to afford his shanks in tight postseason games.
WR Demario Douglas: He's doing a great job of finding openings in coverage, but he's showing his limitations as a slot receiver in this system but not being able to run block due to his size.