There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Patriots' final primetime game of the season last week, when they welcomed the Giants to Gillette Stadium for Monday Night Football. The expectation was that the home team would dominate, and although that mostly happened, it didn't go without controversy.
Because the Patriots were not only excited to finally get to their bye week but also to show off on national television for the last time until the playoffs, they played with an edge against the Giants in a way that was indicative of a Vrabel-led team.
That was particularly true of the defense, which was hitting hard all night and, in some cases, being penalized because of it.