NFL Old School Game of the Week: Patriots Clinch 1st Round Bye With Comeback Win over Giants

 

Patriots tight end Ben Coates lunges for the goal line on his game-winning touchdown against the Giants in 1996.

While the New England Patriots had already locked up the AFC East division title as they traveled to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants in the final week of the 1996 regular season, they still had plenty to play for as a win over the Giants would clinch the #2 seed and a first round bye.

The Patriots came into the game with a 10-5 record under head coach Bill Parcells, who was in his fourth season as the New England head coach but was in a dispute with owner Robert Kraft over who should be in charge of choosing the Patriots' personnel.

Parcells was upset when the Patriots chose wide receiver Terry Glenn in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft instead of choosing a defensive player to go along with quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who was also entering his fourth season in Foxboro.

However, Glenn would win over Parcells as he caught 82 passes for 1,008 yards up entering the Patriots' regular season finale with the New York Giants, Parcells' former team where he spent eight years from 1983-1990 and led "Big Blue" to two Super Bowl titles.

The Giants were far away from being a Super Bowl contender as they came into the game with a 6-9 record under head coach Dan Reeves, who was on the hot seat as speculation in the New York media was that Reeves would be fired as head coach following the Patriots game.

If Reeves was to go out as Giants head coach, he hoped to go say with a win over the Patriots.

After the Patriots went three-and-out to start the game, the Giants got the ball at their 34-yard-line as four runs by Gary Downs for 19 yards and two completions by quarterback Dave Brown for 43 yards to help give New York a 1st & goal at the New England four-yard-line.

Downs would get the ball on three straight plays picking up three yards to set up 4th & goal from the one-yard-line when Reeves decided to go for the touchdown as Downs would get another shot at the end zone only to be stopped for no gain by Patriots defensive tackle Mark Wheeler and defensive end Mike Jones to keep the game scoreless as New England would take over at its one-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Patriots had the ball at their five-yard-line when Bledsoe tried to advert a pass rush from Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and ended up throwing the ball into the turf in the end zone to draw an intentional grounding which resulted in a safety for the Giants and a 2-0 lead with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

After the free kick, the Giants would begin their next possession at the Patriots' 44-yard-line as Brown completed passes of 12 and 14 yards to Thomas Lewis, then connected with running back Charles Way for 18 yards to set up Way's one-yard touchdown run which increased New York's lead to 9-0 with 12:18 remaining in the second quarter.

The Patriots would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 33-yard-line as a 35-yard pass from Brown to Charles Alexander would set up a 30-yard field goal by Brad Daluiso to push the New York lead to double digits at 12-0.

After another three-and-out by the Patriots, the Giants would drive from their 47-yard-line to the New England nine-yard-line in three plays as Brown completed two passes to Way for 41 yards while Downs ran for three yards on the play.

However, the Patriots' defense would keep the Giants out of the end zone as Daluiso would come on to kick a 27-yard field goal to make it 15-0 in favor of New York.

If things weren't bad enough for the Patriots, it would get worse on their next play from scrimmage as Bledsoe was picked off by Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn who took it to the house for a 27-yard pick six to increase the New York to 22-0 with 2:45 left in the first half.

Having mustered just 26 yards of total offense and one 1st down, the Patriots needed a drive to get some points before the end of the first half.

New England would get great field position to start their ensuing possession as they took over at their 44-yard-line as Bledsoe would complete six passes in a row totaling 26 yards to put the Patriots at the Giants' 30-yard-line when after two incomplete passes, Bledsoe hit Shawn Jefferson for 22 yards to give New England a 1st & goal at the New York eight-yard-line.

But just when it seemed the Patriots were going to put points on the scoreboard, Bledsoe would be intercepted in the end zone by Giants cornerback Philippi Starks as time expired in the first half with New York ahead 22-0.

Giants quarterback Dave Brown completed 14 of 34 passes for 215 yards and threw one interception.

The two teams would trade punts to start the third quarter until the Patriots got out of a 2nd & 19 hole at their eight-yard-line as Bledsoe found Glenn for 31 yards, then again for 29 yards to put New England at the Giants' 32-yard-line.

Five plays later, Adam Vinatieri would come on to kick a 40-yard field goal to put the Patriots on the board but still behind 22-3 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.

The New England defense would force the Giants to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 12-yard-line as Bledsoe would complete six of eight passes for 81 yards on the 10-play, 88-yard drive that culminated with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Bledsoe to Glenn to cut the Giants' lead to 22-10 with 12:20 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots were set to get the ball back when they forced a three-and-out when Dave Meggett, who served as the Giants' kick returner from 1989-1994, made his presence felt as he would return the New York punt 60 yards for a touchdown that made it an one-possession game at 22-17 with 11:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The momentum had clearly shifted to the Patriots as cornerback Otis Smith would intercept a Brown pass on the Giants' next possession to give New England the ball at their 36-yard line with a chance to drive down for the go-ahead score.

However, the Patriots would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants, who would then go three-and-out to punt it back to New England who would get the ball at their 25-yard-line with 7:08 to go in the game.

The drive would begin with a 17-yard pass from Bledsoe to running back Keith Byars to give the Patriots a 1st down at its 42-yard-line as Bledsoe would throw an incomplete pass then complete a two-yard pass to tight end Ben Coates to set up 3rd & 8.

That is when Bledsoe found Glenn for 17 yards and another 1st down at the Giants' 39-yard-line as two straight running plays would lose three yards to force 3rd & 13 when Bledsoe hit Brown for the 13 yards to give the Patriots a new set of downs at the New York 29-yard-line.

Another incomplete pass followed by a 13-yard pass to Glenn put the Patriots at the Giants' 16-yard-line as New England would pick up three yards to set up a do-or-die 4th & 7 at the 13-yard-line with 1:30 to play in the game.

That is when Bledsoe threw a pass for Coates, who made the catch at the two-yard-line, then dragged two Giant defenders into the end zone as he would complete the 13-yard touchdown to give the Patriots their first lead of the game at 23-22.

The Patriots would go for two but Bledsoe's pass would fall incomplete to keep the score at 23-22 with 1:23 to go, giving the Giants enough time to save themselves from a hulmiliating collapse.

Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed 31 of 47 passes for 301 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

The Giants would start their ensuing possession at their 36-yard-line as Patriots cornerback Ty Law drew a pass interference penalty to give New York a fresh set of downs starting at their 45-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes and a three-yard scramble by Brown would bring up 4th & 7 when Brown completed a 11-yard pass to Chris Calloway to give the Giants a 1st down at the Patriots' 40-yard-line.

But the Giants would go no further as an intentional grounding penalty and three incomplete passes would force New York to turn it over on downs, allowing the Patriots to run out the clock as New England would come away with the 23-22 victory and the AFC East division title plus a first round bye.

Two days after the loss to the Patriots, Reeves was fired as head coach as he was replaced by Jim Fassel, who helped lead the Giants to the Super Bowl in the 2000 season, while Reeves would go south to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and lead them to the Super Bowl in 1998.

As for the Patriots, they would knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-3 in their AFC Divisional Playoff to advance to the AFC Championship Game where they would face the second-year Jacksonville Jaguars as a 47-yard pick six by Smith would seal the 20-6 victory for New England and send them to the Super Bowl.

But the Patriots would fall to the Green Bay Packers 35-21 in  Super Bowl XXXI as Parcells would step down as head coach of the Patriots and become the coach for the New York Jets.