The New England Patriots host the New York Giants in a Thursday night preseason opener for both franchises. The contest marks the first full week of preseason contests after the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off the schedule last week in Canton, Ohio.
The kickoff for the contest is at 7 p.m. EST inside Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Giants are a 2.5-point favorite, and the over-under point total is 33.5 points.
What to Know – New York Giants
New York finished 2021 and their 97th season as a franchise with a 4-13 record after a 6-10 mark in 2020. The Giants ended the season dropping their last six contests, which led to the firing of Joe Judge after two seasons. Brain Daboll takes over and will make his head coaching debut Thursday night.
The Giants hope this season Shaquan Barkley can remain healthy a boost a Giants offense that was one of the worst in the league last season.
Daniel Jones remains under center and looks to take the next step as a signal caller entering his fourth year in the league. Outside, the play of wideouts Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney also needs to improve in 2022 if the Giants want to make any noise in the NFC East.
New York selected one of the best collegiate prospects in defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth pick in the 2022 draft. Thibodeaux should make his debut Thursday night to showcase why he was considered the top overall pick early on.
What to Know – New England Patriots
The Patriots bounced back after a 7-9 year in 2020 to finish 2021 with a 10-7 mark and a trip to the postseason. New England was blasted by Buffalo, 47-17, in the Wild Card round but remained a step in the right direction for head coach Bill Belichick.
Much of last season’s offense is back in a Patriots uniform, led by starting quarterback Mac Jones. The running back room remains unchanged, with Damien Harris serving as the starter and second-year rusher Rhamondre Stevenson and the injured James White filling in the role of change-of-pace backs. Jones will have more help at receiver with the signing of former Miami Dolphins pass-catcher DeVante Parker.
New England’s defense should again be one of the best in league with their top two tacklers, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Kyle Dugger, back on the roster this year.
The Patriots did lose one of their defensive leaders in linebacker Kyle Van Noy but look for linebackers Mack Wilson, Terrance Mitchell, and Josh Uche to step up and become the leaders.
The Pick is In
Belichick treats every game as important as the next, so expect to see a few starters suit up Thursday night for the Patriots. The Giants are young on both sides of the ball, so there should be a fair amount of action from their main players in the preseason opener.
Both defenses are strong, while the offenses last year struggled. Should be a similar trend to begin the season and especially in Week 1 of the preseason.
The Pick: Giants/Patriots UNDER 33.5
