Giants 21, Patriots 17: Post-game report

February 06, 2012|By Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff

By Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff

INDIANAPOLIS — A somewhat stunning 21-17 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI closed the book on the Patriots’ 2011 season in disappointing fashion.

Let’s take a look back.

WHY DID THE PATRIOTS LOSE?

In my opinion, because the offense didn’t make enough plays. And the entire unit was to blame. From Tom Brady, to an offensive line that got leaky at the end, to a limited receiving corp, it just wasn’t enough. The offense put the defense in a 9-0 hole thanks to a safety, and then the defense held the Giants to two field goals until the final drive. The Patriots had a 17-6 lead and the offense was blanked for the final 26 minutes of the game. That’s not good enough.

INJURY REPORT

QB Tom Brady (left shoulder) never left the game, but it looked like that troublesome left shoulder was giving him problems. Wouldn’t be surprised if he needs off-season surgery.
TE Rob Gronkowski (left ankle) played the entire game but was a non-factor. He couldn’t get off the line, which basically left the Patriots with Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead as weapons for Brady. That’s a little light.
LG Logan Mankins (unknown) was slow to get up at one point. Not sure if it affected him the rest of the game or not.

THREE THINGS TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT

Patriots came within a minute of winning the Super Bowl: As bad as the loss hurts and as long as it will linger, it was a heck of an accomplishment for the Patriots to make it to the Super Bowl and be so close to winning. That does mean something.

Defense: Yes, the Patriots lost but I was wrong about the defense. That unit did its job in this game, holding the Giants to 15 points until the final minute — with nine coming on the safety and subsequent drive. The Patriots played very well against a potent offense. The defense did its job.

The future: A strong core is there on this team. The entire offensive line will be back, along with Brady, the two rookie running backs, Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, and a franchised Wes Welker. A couple of more pieces are needed. Defensively, a line of Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Brandon Deaderick and Myron Pryor has a lot of promise. Jerod Mayo and Brandon Fletcher anchor the linebackers, with Rob Ninkovich capable. In the secondary, the Patriots have a potential star in Patrick Chung, Kyle Arrington proved worthy, they need to figure out where Devin McCourty will play, and hopefully get Ras-I Dowling healthy. That’s a very solid core.