Cj Gunther/EPA, via Shutterstock
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Late in the second quarter Thursday night, what had been a raucous crowd at Gillette Stadium suddenly grew almost funereal.
Minutes earlier, the home fans had been singing and dancing in the aisles as their New England Patriots, with an authoritative drive, took a seven-point lead against an undermanned Giants team. Until then, the game had been sloppy and unbefitting the occasion: a nationally televised rematch of two-time Super Bowl rivals.
But finally, it seemed as if the regal Patriots had taken take control. All was right in Foxborough.