Patriots blow up Giants’ FG blunder with brutal hit

A closer look shows Koo actually kicking the turf about a foot shy of the football.

Patriots dominate Giants on Monday Night Football

The surreal play was a microcosm of the first half. The Giants’ effort Monday night is best expressed by Koo’s bizarre whiff followed by a frantic 200-pound punter running for his life before getting driven into the turf by a 300-pound defensive tackle.

The Patriots clobbered the Giants in the first half. Jaxson Dart got lit up by Christian Elliss on the sideline, which started a scuffle. New York was understandably touchy about the wicked knock as Dart had just returned from a concussion. Elliss then laid a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit on Gunner Olszewski on a kickoff return.

Olszewski fumbled on the play as he appeared to go limp following the hard contact. The paint on his helmet was chipped from Elliss’ hit. The Giants’ return specialist was helped off the field and into the medical tent for evaluation.

The Patriots faced a test without Will Campbell anchoring the offensive line in Week 13. New England’s standout rookie tackle landed on IR with an MCL sprain. However, the team has been dominant against New York. The Patriots would improve to an NFL-best 11-2 with a victory on Monday night.