Best and worst: What we learned from Patriots’ 33-15 win over Giants

FOXBORO The - Patriots will go into their long-awaited bye week on a high note The Patriots beat the Giants - in a Monday night shellacking to extend their winning streak to games before a well-deserved week off After playing straight games without a break the injury-depleted Patriots will at last get to rest and enjoy their Week bye Monday night s win saw fireworks on special teams an MVP-worthy performance from Drake Maye and a defense looking to lay the lumber Related Articles Patriots inactives Garrett Bradbury progressing rookie a surprise healthy scratch Patriots QB Drake Maye leads NFL players in early Pro Bowl voting Patriots add O-lineman to roster with starter now questionable vs Giants things we re watching in Monday night s Patriots-Giants matchup Patriots-Giants preview How Drake Maye Mike Vrabel can win big on Monday Night Football A -yard kick return from Terrell Jennings put the Patriots in good position at their own -yard on the championship s opening drive The Patriots made it down inside their red zone but had to settle for a -yard field goal from Andy Borregales from the Giants -yard line to take an early - lead Running back Rhamondre Stevenson ran hard on the drive picking up yards on three carries The Patriots defense made an opening-drive stop limiting the Giants to just one first down That s been a rare occurrence for the unit It helped set up a -yard punt return touchdown for Marcus Jones which sent Gillette Stadium into a rumbling celebration It was Jones second punt return touchdown of the season The Giants were forced to punt again this time failing to pick up a first down Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart was sent flying when he took a huge hit from Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss down the sideline A retaliation from Giants tight end Theo Johnson pushed the Giants back Dart stayed in the competition The Patriots responded with a quick five-play -yard touchdown drive Quarterback Drake Maye hit wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the end zone for a -yard touchdown pass one play after connecting with tight end Hunter Henry for a -yard gain A few poor tackling led to a Giants amount when Dart hit wide receiver Darius Slayton for a -yard catch-and-run touchdown A personal foul penalty on Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins who delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on Johnson gave the Giants free yards The Giants failed to number on their ensuing series with one of the strangest plays you ll ever see on a football field Kicker Younghoe Koo missed the ball kicking the turf instead on a -yard field goal attempt That left holder Jamie Gillan scrambling He was brought down by defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr for a -yard sack M-V-P chants rained down from Gillette Stadium after Maye hit Kyle Williams for a -yard touchdown to go ahead - The hits kept coming Gunner Olszewski a former Patriot fumbled on the ensuing kick return while taking a hit from Elliss and Marte Mapu It was recovered by Elijah Ponder at the Giants -yard line The Patriots couldn t get in the end zone but settled for a -yard field goal to go up - The Giants then gifted the Patriots three points by electing to take a delay of match rather than going for it on fourth-and- from the Giants -yard line Maye fleetly orchestrated a four-play -yard drive and Borregales knocked through a -yard field goal The Patriots went into the half with a - lead The Giants did elect to go for it on fourth-and- coming out of the half but the Patriots forced a turnover on downs The offense couldn t capitalize however getting to the Giants -yard line before Borregales missed a -yard field goal wide left The Giants cut the Patriots lead to two scores with a -yard touchdown run on a direct snap to running back Devin Singletary They converted on a two-point attempt to make the outcome - when Dart located Slayton in the end zone on a scramble play Cornerback Carlton Davis was in coverage on the two-point conversion The Patriots put up three more points just ahead of the two-minute warning on a -yard field goal from Borregales BEST CB Marcus Jones The slot cornerback punt returner scored a touchdown in his second straight battle This one was a -yard punt return for a touchdown He had a pick-six on defense last week QB Drake Maye Maye was majestic deep on Monday night hitting Williams and tight end Hunter Henry on -plus yard throws Overall he was -of- for yards with two touchdowns and four rushing attempts for yards LB Christian Elliss Elliss helped force Olszewski s fumble He also delivered the hard hit on Dart down the sideline Patriots replacements Let s give it up for left tackle Vederian Lowe left guard Ben Brown and defensive tackles Cory Durden and Eric Gregory all thrust into bigger roles due to injuries Were the performances perfect No but it was good enough to win WORST S Jaylinn Hawkins A personal foul penalty on Hawkins helped set up the Giants first-half touchdown He later had a key pass breakup however Red-zone offense The Patriots were -of- in the red zone They also got down to the Giants -yard line before a missed field goal from Borregales TreVeyon Henderson s blitz pickup Overall Henderson had a fine match But he got beat by a sack late by Giants linebacker Zaire Barnes Otherwise Henderson ran times for yards and caught three passes on four targets for yards with a drop WHAT WE LEARNED Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown started at left tackle and left guard respectively as expected to fill in for Will Campbell and Jared Wilson Jones return qualified him for the all-time list for punt return average He s first with a average He s the fourth performer in Patriots history to return two punts for touchdowns in the same season Running back Terrell Jennings left the meeting with a head injury and didn t return Stevenson saw his playing time increase this week It still appeared he was working his way back from a toe injury in Week Rookie edge defender Elijah Ponder posted his third sack in four games He s filled in nicely since the Patriots traded Keion White