New England Patriots - NESN.com
Christian Elliss set the tone and his teammates fed off of it, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said.
“I think our guys certainly did. I think our fans did. I think our team did,” Vrabel told reporters after New England’s 33-15 victory over the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium on Monday night, per a team provided transcript.
Elliss’ hit on Giants quarterback Jaxon Dart occurred with four minutes left in the first quarter, just three plays after Marcus Jones returned a punt for a 94-yard touchdown. Elliss lit up Dart as the rookie quarterback tried to navigate the sideline and get to the first down marker.
It was a perfectly legal hit given Dart was in bounds, as discussed by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the ESPN broadcast. The Giants received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for starting a brief skirmish after the hit.
“Christian’s playing through the whistle, and as long as the player’s inbounds he’s going to try to hit him legally,” Vrabel said.
Elliss delivered another loud hit on Giants kick returner Gunner Olszewski, which also was not flagged. It forced a second-quarter fumble and gifted the Patriots great field position before kicking a field goal.
“It was good to see the impact it can make and turning the ball over as well,” Vrabel said of Elliss and the coverage team.
After a 10th straight victory, the Patriots enter their Week 14 bye sitting atop the AFC at 11-3.
