What we learned ...
Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham gave their best shots at making the Giants' roster: Moss and Manningham appeared to be two receivers on the bubble heading into the Giants' final preseason game, and both made an impact Thursday. Moss had just two catches, but both went for touchdowns. He burned Patriots rookie safety Patrick Chung on the Giants' opening two drives, first taking Chung deep for a 23-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning, then following that with a nice 12-yard catch on a David Carr throw in the back right corner of the end zone. Manningham finished the game with a team-leading four receptions for 74 yards. Regardless of what happens with the two young wideouts, their strong showings could mean the end of the road for On the Fringe hopeful David Tyree, who didn't play because of a hamstring injury.
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BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a force: The Patriots kept five running backs last season and again look to be loaded in the backfield with Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and Green-Ellis. That said, there is a chance the Patriots will have to cut one from that group. Green-Ellis capped a strong preseason (5.1 yards per carry) with three touchdowns and 147 yards from scrimmage, meaning Morris could be the odd man out. The nine-year veteran, who was the Patriots' leading rusher last season, didn't take the field in the preseason because of an injury.
The backup QB situation in New England is as confusing as ever: Last season, Matt Cassel looked to be on the verge of getting cut after a difficult preseason. We all know how that worked out. This year, less than a week after the Patriots released second-year QB Kevin O'Connell, Bill Belichick gave all the snaps to undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer while veteran Andrew Walter remained on the sideline. Hoyer completed 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards for one touchdown with no interceptions. Nevertheless, it's hard to say what direction the Patriots will proceed behind Tom Brady.
