New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady faces reporters during a news conference before an NFL football practice, Wednesday, November 11, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots are to play the NY Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, November 15, 2015.
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The victories not only extended the Patriots current unbeaten streak, but also improved them to a solid 5-1-2 ATS record in their last eight when favored by seven or more points, according to the OddsShark NFL Database. There have been teams with losing records to make the playoffs, like the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks in 2010.
Here was No. 85 back at Giants practice, running and looking imposing at tight end.
“I thought they were going to be better than they were last season”, Simms said.
The Patriots were a relatively healthy team for the first month of the season, but in October the team was hit with a series of injuries, particularly along the offensive line.
A pair of epic victories produced two of the four Vince Lombardi trophies that are on display inside the lobby of the team’s training facility. They might have got in his way….
Brady has a legendary rivalry with Peyton Manning, Eli’s older brother, but the quarterback of the Giants is the one who has denied him twice on the big stage.
Still, the Patriots are an undefeated team and the Giants have the worst defense in the NFL. Should they get off to a slow start, the Giants could be in prime position to pick them off and register the upset. Coughlin said he “appreciated the toughness” that Edelman brings to the game and wishes that the wideout was catching passes from Eli Manning instead of Tom Brady.
The Giants bounced back from their wild 52-49 loss against the New Orleans Saints with a strong performance last Sunday, taking care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32-18 as a 1.5-point road favorite. And believe me – it doesn’t take much to set them off. And just like 2007, it’s possible that even a close, competitive loss could accomplish that last part. “We just haven’t won as many of them as I would’ve liked to have won”.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was ready when asked why wouldn’t Brady match Brees’ numbers. “A lot of times guys get sacks because a certain player might flush a quarterback into you and you might be the lucky guy who gets the free play to run in and sack the quarterback”. Brady has been able to mask their inefficiencies in the passing game by having the quickest release in the league, but the running game has certainly suffered because of the line.
But Brady isn’t the only star in the Patriots new show of dominance, as the New England defense has put up a few lofty numbers of its own. Given time, Beckham Jr. will no doubt get open and then he’s very apt to break a long gainer.
Brady echoed Belichick’s sentiment on the Giants defense.
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“You play your game, you play hard, ” Meriweather said.
