HERO
It wasn’t David Tyree’s Super Bowl helmet catch, but tight end Jake Ballard’s overhead grab between two defenders on third-and-10 on the Giants’ final drive was as clutch as you will see in a regular-season game. And Ballard didn’t stop there, hauling in a 1-yard touchdown from Eli Manning with 15 seconds left to give Big Blue the victory.
ZERO
The fourth-quarter rally was impressive, but rarely has Tom Brady looked this bad in a regular-season game at Gillette Stadium. Battered by the Giants’ relentless pass rush and confused by their flood-the-field coverage schemes, Brady was picked off twice, lost a fumble and was nearly intercepted at least three other times while suffering his first regular-season home loss since 2006 (31 games).
UNSUNG HERO
Eli Manning was clutch and linebacker Michael Boley came up huge, but punter Steve Weatherford paved the way for the Giants’ comeback by pinning five — repeat: five — kicks inside the New England 20. Weatherford averaged a whopping 43.1 yards overall on eight punts, including a 51-yarder, and gave Tom Brady a long field to work with all game long.
KEY MOMENT
The Patriots’ secondary has been their Achilles’ heel all season, and yesterday was no different as safety Sergio Brown’s 20-yard interference penalty on Victor Cruz with 35 seconds left gave the Giants first-and-goal at the New England 1-yard line. Brown’s miscue and a 35-yard interference call on Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington on the previous possession were daggers for Bill Belichick’s crew.