Just when the Patriots thought they were off to a fast start, stopping the Giants out of field goal range on the first drive of the game, a good punt and a bad throw from Tom Brady has them behind 2-0.
After allowing the Giants to move up towards field goal range with a few complete passes on the opening drive, the Patriots came up with some big sacks from Brandon Deaderick and Mark Anderson to push New York back and force the punt on a 4th-and-19.
In the end, however, they may have preferred the field goal attempt. A friendly bounce kept the punt out of the end zone, leaving the Patriots a 94-yard field to work with. With little room between Brady and his own end zone, the Patriots never-the-less elected to go to the play-action with their first offensive play of the game. The offensive line held for a while, but eventually Justin Tuck managed to make his way into the backfield, and Brady opted to heave a long ball downfield, far enough from all receivers to force the referee's hand. The call was intentional grounding, and with Brady having released in the end zone, it resulted in a safety for the Giants.