The New England Patriots have won 10 straight games and moved to 11-2 on the season after a "Monday Night Football" takedown of the New York Giants, 33-15. The victory moves New England back atop the AFC as the No. 1 seed, while the Giants -- already eliminated from playoff contention -- drop to 2-11.
The Patriots took control from jump street thanks to stellar special teams play, including a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown by Marcus Jones in the first quarter. That helped create a 10-point cushion in the blink of an eye, and that's where Drake Maye and the offense took the baton and guided the club to a blowout win.
Maye orchestrated two touchdown drives in the first half, the second capped by a 33-yard strike to rookie wideout Kyle Williams. That sent the Patriots into the locker room with a 30-7 lead, and they controlled the game thoroughly from there with clock-bleeding field goal drives.
As for the Giants, there wasn't much to write home about beyond a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Darius Slayton in the first half and a 22-yard scoring run by Devin Singletary in the fourth quarter. Two critical errors came early: Tight end Theo Johnson dropped a would-be touchdown on a deep ball from Dart, and kicker Younghoe Koo whiffed on a 47-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, turning the ball over on downs.
New England enters its bye week from here, while the Giants will look to snap their seven-game losing streak when they host the Washington Commanders in Week 14.
For more on how this game unfolded, check out our takeaways below.
New England's special teams were hot out of the gate. On the opening kickoff, running back/returner Terrell Jennings took the ball 39 yards to the Patriots' 47-yard line, helping set up a field goal on the first possession.
After the defense forced New York to punt on its opening drive, the Giants kicked it to Marcus Jones, who raced 94 yards for a touchdown to make it a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter. The return tied Julian Edelman's 94-yarder in 2011 for the longest in franchise history.
Those returns propelled New England to a 17-0 first-quarter lead -- its largest since 2019.
Every amateur golfer will be able to relate to Younghoe Koo's bizarre field goal attempt midway through the second quarter. His 47-yard try never even reached the football. Instead, his planting and timing were off, his foot dug into the turf and holder Jamie Gillan was taken down for a sack.
Playing for the first time since suffering a concussion and missing the previous two games, Jaxson Dart still didn't shy away from contact. The rookie quarterback repeatedly took unnecessary hits throughout the night.
On New York's second possession, Dart scrambled for 12 yards on second-and-13 but refused to step out of bounds, absorbing a legal but thunderous blow from Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss.
It wasn't the only one. On the Giants' first drive, Dart held the ball too long and ate a big hit from pass rusher Harold Landry instead of throwing it away.
While Dart's legs are a huge part of his game, he'll need to learn when to use them and when to simply go down and live and fight another day. Even after suffering a concussion and missing two games, it appears the message hasn't sunk in.
After Matthew Stafford committed three turnovers in Sunday's loss to the Panthers, Monday gave Drake Maye another opportunity to strengthen his MVP candidacy. He delivered, completing 24 of 34 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Maye also showed why he's widely considered the league's best deep-ball thrower. Late in the first half on third-and-9, he dropped a perfectly placed 33-yard touchdown to rookie Kyle Williams.
Maye now leads the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating through 13 weeks, pushing him squarely into the MVP race — if not making him the favorite.
New York's first-round rookie has been in the doghouse in recent weeks, including during Monday's loss to the Patriots. Carter was benched for the first quarter of Week 13, which marks his second benching in the last three weeks. The No. 3 overall pick was spotted on the field in the second quarter and sacked Drake Maye.
The prior benching was reportedly due to Carter sleeping through a walkthrough, which the pass rusher has denied. He did acknowledge, however, that he missed the session, but claimed he was getting treatment. It's unclear what led to Carter's benching this time around, but the Penn State product isn't putting himself in the best light.
Denver briefly overtook New England for the AFC's top seed with its Sunday night win over Washington, but the Patriots reclaimed it with Monday's victory.
As they enter their Week 14 bye, they'll keep a close eye on Denver's trip to Las Vegas. A Broncos loss would only strengthen New England's grip on the No. 1 seed down the stretch.
A dominating display from the Patriots, who move to 11-2 on the season after winning their 10th straight game. Drake Maye continues his MVP surge, while the special teams unit was arguably the MVP of the game. Meanwhile, the Giants will look to snap their seven-game losing streak when they host the Commanders next week.
Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is questionable to return with a hip injury.
The New York Giants began the fourth quarter, cutting into the Patriots lead with a 22-yard rushing touchdown by Devin Singletary. Jaxson Dart and Co. stayed on the field for a two-point conversion, and after some scrambling by the rookie QB, he connected with Darius Slayton. New England now leads 30-15.
New York had a little something cooking on their opening drive of the second half, but, given the deficit, were painted into a corner to go for it on fourth-and-6. There, Jaxson Dart's pass to Theo Johnson fell incomplete, creating a turnover on downs.
This one got out of hand in a hurry. New England's special teams was a key driver in this lopsided score, most notably Marcus Jones' 94-yard punt return for a touchdown. Of course, Drake Maye's two touchdowns -- especially the 33-yarder to Kyle Williams -- have also blown this game wide open.
New England's special teams unit continues to be the bright spot on Monday night. Christian Elliss forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and now the Patriots have regained possession deep in Giants territory.
Drake Maye's deep ball was on full display on that 33-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams. It was also a heck of a catch by the rookie wideout, tracking it perfectly while getting both feet in bounds. It's a 24-7 lead for New England.
I've never seen this before. Younghoe Koo botched the Giants field goal attempt. The replay showed the veteran kicker completely mistiming his attempt, and his kicking foot dug into the turf. Play was technically counted as a sack.
After not playing in the opening quarter due to a coach's decision, Giants rookie pass rusher Abdul Carter was on the field during New York's first defensive stretch in the second quarter.
Patriots running back Terrell Jennings is questionable to return with a head injury.
The Giants are punching back. In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Jaxson Dart connected with Darius Slayton for a 30-yard touchdown. It's now a 17-7 Patriots lead.
It was all Patriots in that opening quarter. The special teams unit shine brightest with Terrell Jennings' 39-yard return on the opening kickoff to help set up a field goal drive. Then, Marcus Jones' 94-yard punt return put them up by double digits. Drake Maye's goal-line touchdown to Kayshon Boutte was the icing on the cake.
Things are going off the rails rather quickly here in Foxboro. Drake Maye connected with Kayshon Boutte for a 3-yard touchdown, and the Patriots are up 17-0 with one minute to play in the opening quarter. Great ball by Maye as New England gets a red zone score.
Christian Ellis laid a MASSIVE hit on Jaxson Dart s the Giants quarterback was scrambling up the right sideline. That caused a sideline scuffle. To me, it was a clean hit as Dart was running up the sideline, and Theo Johnson was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty.
The Patriots are suddenly up 10-0 over the Giants thanks to Marcus Jones returning a punt 94 yards for a touchdown. New England's special teams unit is showing up in this first quarter.
One storyline to monitor: New York Giants first-round rookie Abdul Carter did not play on the opening possession. The pass rusher has been disciplined by the team in a similar manner this season, so it'll be interesting to see if he gets onto the field next time out.
One of the issues we saw last week with the Patriots against Cincinnati was their inability to convert in the red zone (0-2). That reared its head on the opening possession of the night. Despite getting down to the Giants 4-yard line, they settled for a field goal after Drake Maye couldn't connect with Stefon Diggs on third down.
With Will Campbell and Jared Wilson sidelined for this game, Vederian Lowe is in at left tackle and Ben Brown is in at left guard.
New York called tails, and it came up tails. The Giants elected to defer, so it'll be Drake Maye and the New England Patriots who get the ball on offense first.
The Patriots entered Week 13 as the No. 1 seed in the AFC at 10-2. However, they enter "Monday Night Football" as the No. 2 seed after the Denver Broncos (the current No. 1 seed) were able to outlast the Washington Commanders last night. If New England holds serve and beats New York, they'll jump back up. If not, the Broncos will hold onto the top spot in the conference as we begin the final full month of the regular season.
After Matthew Stafford's three-turnover day on Sunday in a loss to Carolina, this matchup provides an opportunity for Drake Maye to potentially gain the inside lane at the NFL MVP award. Coming into this matchup, Maye is +145 to win the award, only looking up to Stafford, who is -110.
Entering Week 13, Maye led the NFL in comp pct (71%) and passing yards (3,130).
New York will welcome back Jaxson Dart after the rookie QB missed the previous two games due to a concussion. One thing that I'll be monitoring tonight is if there is any reduction to his running game. Will the Giants call less designed QB runs? Will Dart slide more? As dynamic Dart can be with his legs, he needs to be smart.
One of the more intriguing matchups that we'll be keeping our eye on tonight is how this New England offensive line holds up, particularly on the left side. The Patriots are down starting left tackle Will Campbell and starting left guard Jared Wilson for this matchup. With backups in on the entire left side, New York would be wise to exploit it with Brian Burns, who comes into Monday night with 13 sacks.
In addition to OT Will Campbell and DT Milton Williams, both of whom are on injured reserve, the Patriots will be without G Jared Wilson (ankle) and DT Khyiris Tonga (chest) against the Giants. The good news for the Patriots is that two other starters -- C Garrett Bradbury (illness) and OLB Harold Landry (knee) -- are officially active.
For the first time in his 14 NFL seasons, Russell Wilson is a healthy scratch. He'll be the emergency third QB for tonight's game behind starter Jaxson Dart and backup Jameis Winston.
CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan has arrived at Gillette Stadium for the Patriots-Giants showdown on "Monday Night Football." While he gets settled, check out our full preview of this Week 13 matchup..
