Giants vs. Patriots Preseason Week 1, How to Watch:
- Date: Thursday, Aug. 11.
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
- TV: NBC 4 New York, NFL Network
- Radio: WFAN 660/101.9 FM
- Stream: nbcnewyork.com, NBC 4 New York app
It’s been a little more than seven months since the New York Giants stepped onto the gridiron for a competitive game. They’ll finally get the chance to do so again on Thursday night when they open the preseason against the New England Patriots.
It will mark the first time that the reconstructed Giants offensive line will get into a game situation and the first look at where Daniel Jones is after the first few weeks of camp. Head coach Brian Daboll said that he expects everyone that is healthy to play in the first preseason game, but wasn’t quite sure how long the starters would be on the field.
The main focus for the coaching staff will be to see how much of the fundamentals that they’ve worked on during camp translates against an actual opponent.
“We’re really focused on us right now,” Daboll said on Sunday. “Improving our fundamentals and techniques and execution and assignments and conditioning. That’s where we’re at. That’s where we’re going to spend the next three days, on really focusing on what we can do better collectively: coaches, players, staff. That’s where we need to be.”
The team’s three on-field workouts this week leading up to the game have had higher intensity to them than the weeks prior, which included a fight breaking out on Monday towards the end of practice. Now the Giants will get to use that pent up aggression on Thursday against an actual opponent.
“I expect it to be fast, aggressive, up-tempo, and violent, just like any other football game would be. I’m excited for that,” rookie tackle Evan Neal said on Tuesday about playing in his first NFL game.
Players to watch
Daniel Jones: He may be one of the most talked about quarterbacks in the league and all eyes have already been on him since the spring, but now with a chance to see what Jones can do in game action the spotlight will be even brighter. Jones hasn’t had a terrible training camp, in fact, there have been days where he has looked quite good, but his inconsistencies have not helped him stand apart from veteran QB and backup Tyrod Taylor.
Dropped passes by his receivers and an offensive line that still has plenty of questions itself doesn’t help either. Still Jones will need to start the preseason calendar off strong to offset some of the early questions.
Evan Neal: Plenty has been made about the offensive line and Neal is expected to be a part of that group that helps turn things around. The Giants have put Neal at right tackle through training camp, which is a spot he hasn’t played in a few years, but he has seemed to adjust well through camp. The 21-year-old has looked good during team periods and for the most part during 1-on-1 work, though there have been a few bad reps.
“I have the muscle memory there since I did play it,” Neal said of the switch. “It was just the fact that this is the fourth year consecutively that I’ve had to play a different spot for sure, but I feel like I’m doing well, and I feel like I’m only going to get better and better.”
Kayvon Thibodeaux: The fan club of the Giants’ 5th overall pick in this year’s draft seemingly has grown by the day. It’s been hard to argue that he has been one of the best players in camp on a consistent basis, having earned high marks from the coaching staff to the veterans at camp. During Monday’s practice, he had back-to-back would-be sacks on Jones and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has praised his work ethic.
“He’s just went to work and it’s all about football and he is very smart, football-wise,” Martindale said. “He knows he wants to get better, and he knows where he wants to be. I’ve been really pleased with him.”
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