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Thursday Night Observations

When you're running cold it's tough to catch a break. I had the Giants +16.5, and they lost by 21, thanks to defense and special teams TDs. And they had a chance to cover on the last drive, but apparently pass interference doesn't exist if the ref doesn't see it on the field. What a pointless rule if they're never going to reverse a call even when it's obvious.

Daniel Jones threw three picks, made some poor decisions and came out with bad numbers against the league's best defense, but he always passes the eye test for me. He's mobile, he goes through progressions and he throws a catchable and accurate ball.

Golden Tate was Jones' clear top receiver and got free for a long TD. He'll be a factor all year even when the team's key players get healthy. Darius Slayton showed some promise the last couple games, but is likely to take a back seat when everyone's back.

Jonathan Hilliman looked okay before the fumble-six. He'll be back on the practice squad when everyone's healthy.

Tom Brady was shaky early, threw a pick and lost a fumble, but was sharp late and really wanted that second rushing TD. He's still more or less the same guy.

Julian Edelman and James White got all the targets. Against a good defense, they'll need Josh Gordon (who got hurt) -- or someone else, though.

I'd be surprised if Mike Nugent were on the team next week. He missed a short try, was shaky on PATs, and the Patriots elected to go for it on fourth down a few times because they didn't trust him.

Sony Michel ran decently and saw a lot of work, but Brandon Bolden and Brady got the goal-line carries. Michel did chip in as a receiver, but he also had a drop.

I have no idea why Pat Shurmur punted on 4th-and-2 down 14 halfway through the fourth quarter, but I was happy at the time because it made a cover more likely. But from a football standpoint, he should know better.