NY Giants: Would Have, Could Have

In an article posted to dailysnark.com, a NY Giants fan is calling conspiracy through a video that was posted to YouTube that claims the Patriots received extra time to kick the game winning field goal which can be seen below.

The Bills are expected to have nearly the exact same starting lineup as the first meeting, although cornerback Leodis McKelvin recently came off the reserve/non-football injury list, and played in 30 of 59 snaps last week against the Jets in a reserve role.

This isn’t about that though.

And after whiffing on three straight pass plays from their own 20 – the first on a dropped interception by Giants corner Jayron Hosely – Tom Brady faced a 4th and 10 with 1:28 left on the clock. The Pats players don’t treat him as the kicker, they treat him as just another member of the 53 and that’s saying something. “I don’t know what a partial tear feels like”.

Then it was 2011. The Patriots were a mess of injuries.

“At the end of the day, just bring it down, put it in the third hand, keep it within the framework of your body and it is protected and we will be good”, Ryan said. Eli had only lost to the Patriots once, in the final game of the regular season of the 2007 season where… well, let’s not talk about that again.

“I’m really disappointed, upset, whatever the best word me be”, said coach Tom Coughlin. Okay, so you saw it? Good. Well it’s because it’s no longer true following this past Sunday’s Giants-Patriots matchup. And I’ll be honest, the Patriots were extremely lucky. In a one-point win, the Patriots needed every bit of help they could find.

But they also were plagued by critical pass interference penalties, and lost top receiver Julian Edelman in the first half with a foot injury. Chronologically makes sense, the two plays bookend the game, after all.

Just as Stephen Gostkowski was lining up for his 54-yard game-winning field goal attempt, one of the passengers chose to get out his phone and record everyone’s reaction to the kick.

Brady piloted the Pats into Giants territory with four seconds remaining and Gostkowski sealed the win. Edelman broke a bone in his foot during Sunday’s win over the Giants, and while he hasn’t been placed on IR or ruled out for the season, he might not return until the playoffs.

As with most games that are decided by one point, there are many plays that you can point to that the Giants could have made and they would have been the ones to emerge victorious.

But the Patriots finally got over the Giants hump.

Now, it’s pretty obvious Shaughnessy is having fun here – part of the column discusses the Patriots spending Super Bowl week at an undisclosed location in the Nevada desert.

But I’m still not counting out the Giants.