At what point should the Patriots officially worry?
Yes, last night's latest debacle in the Meadowlands didn't count toward their real record. Just as New England's first three exhibition losses didn't count. The 0-4 beside its name in the standings will be reset to 0-0 before next Sunday's regular-season opener against Kansas City.
But after watching the Pats get pushed around again last night in a 19-14 defeat to the Giants, and especially watching the first-stingers get outclassed in the opening half, it's reasonable to be concerned that those losses will keep coming when the games do matter.
That doesn't mean last year's 16-0 juggernaut will keep that zero in the win column for long. This team is too talented and frankly, the upcoming schedule too weak to keep the Pats from slipping too far.
But the Patriots aren't about just winning games anymore. Heck, 18 straight wins weren't enough to satisfy anyone last year. This is supposed to be an ongoing dynasty where only championships matter. There hasn't been one of those in Foxboro for the past three seasons, and the club's performance this preseason hasn't exactly elicited confidence that will change this February.
Last night, rookie quarterback Kevin O'Connell provided a few late highlights to make the final score last night appear respectable. He lofted a perfect pass to Chad Jackson down the left sideline for a 16-yard score, then scrambled in himself from 5 yards out for New England's only scores of the night.
Those both came in the final 10 minutes with the field full of fringe players on both sides. By that point, New York had already humbled the Pats regulars as they built a 19-0 lead. Anyone else remember when 19-0 in a game against the Giants was actually the Pats' goal?
Winning this one would have been nice, but hardly was imperative. What was needed was a better all-around effort, some sign of the old invincibility the Pats used to project and a little momentum heading into the regular season.
None of that was accomplished.
Matt Cassel again got the start at quarterback as Tom Brady finished the preseason without seeing any game action. And once again Cassel failed to lead the Pats into the end zone despite having Pro Bowl tackle Matt Light back for his first preseason action and the rest of the first-string offense - minus just injured guard Stephen Neal and wide receiver Wes Welker - to work with.
Cassel's numbers were decent - 4-of-6 for 37 yards - but the bottom line was another fruitless outing in two series before giving way to Matt Gutierrez.
For the first time this preseason, Gutierrez himself fared no better. He was 5-of-9 for 67 yards and also failed to produce any points. His first three possessions were all ineffective three-and-outs.
Gutierrez finally got something going at the end of the half, though only after getting some help from the replay booth. His ill-advised throw to rookie tight end Jonathan Stupar was picked off by Michael Johnson despite Stupar's offensive pass interference, but it was ruled a trap upon review.
After getting down to the Giants 2, there was no saving Gutierrez on the final play of the half when Jackson slipped on a fade route in the end zone and R.W. McQuarters picked off the pass.
Gutierrez returned in the second half for one possession - another three-and-out that was the only time the Pats touched the ball in the third quarter.
The defense had plenty of troubles of its own. Opening the game with all of the regular starters expect linebacker Adalius Thomas, who sat out while Pierre Woods got the nod in his place, New England again failed to slow an opponent in the early going.
The Giants drove 80 yards on nine plays for a TD on their first possession, as New England finished the preseason giving up a score on each of its opponents' opening drives.
The Giants did their damage both on the ground - Brandon Jacobs rattling off runs of 19 and 11 yards and Derrick Ward adding another 11-yarder - and through the air - backup David Carr looked like a guy actually worthy of being a No. 1 overall pick as he was 20-of-29 for 192 yards, two scores and a 110.1 QB rating, including going 3-for-4 for 37 yards and a TD on the opening drive.
That scoring play symbolized everything that's gone wrong for the Pats this preseason, as tight end Darcy Johnson hauled in a 26-yard scoring strike. Johnson was left wide open in the right flat just outside the 20, shook off a weak attempt at a tackle by safety James Sanders, then bulled over 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback Fernando Bryant, who made the poor decision to take on the 6-5, 252-pound Johnson head on at the 5.
It stayed 7-0 until the end of the quarter, as New England finished the preseason having been blanked, 20-0, in first-quarter action. Last year in the regular season the Pats outscored their opponents 134-41, setting the tone early for their many blowout wins.
That did change a bit in the postseason, when the Patriots managed just seven points in the opening quarter of three games, while allowing 13. They righted things quickly then though, outscoring foes 28-13 in the second quarter in the playoffs after putting up an astronomical 199-96 edge in the regular season.
The second quarter didn't get any better in the preseason this year though, as the Pats managed just nine points while giving up 47. That's a 67-9 deficit in the first half when the regulars were usually on the field.
The only time New England really produced was in the fourth quarter, when they held a 44-3 advantage. That bodes well for the depth at the end of the roster, but doesn't say much for the guys who are being counted on to play the bulk of the minutes in the upcoming season.
It's not quite time to panic because of a poor preseason. But there's certainly at least cause for some serious concern.
(Douglas Flynn covers the Patriots for the Daily News. He can be reached at dflynn@cnc.com.)
