EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Lawrence Tynes kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:03 to play and the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 6-3 on Wednesday night in the preseason finale for the teams that met in the Super Bowl in early February.
This one was hardly as interesting as the title game, but the Giants (2-2) once again scored late to win. Adewale Ojomo set up the game-winning score with a sack and forced fumble against Brian Hoyer that Marcus Thomas returned 12 yards to set up Tynes' second field goal of the half.
Steve Gostkowski kicked a 20-yard field goal in the second quarter for the Patriots (1-3), who rested almost every starter.
The Super Bowl champion Giants will kick off the NFL season next Wednesday at home against Dallas. The Patriots will open on the road at Tennessee on Sept. 9.
The Giants iced the game with 13 seconds to play on an interception by Laron Scott.
Eli Manning and the majority of the Giants' starters played just over a quarter, with receiver Hakeem Nicks making his preseason debut. New England rested their starters with only fullback Eric Kettani and defensive tackle Brandon Deaderick starting.
.After collecting only four first downs and 69 total yards in the first half, the Giants took the second-half kickoff and went 64 yards in 13 plays with Tynes tying the game with a 34-yard field goal. Andre Brown rushed nine times for 51 yards in what has to be a late bid to make the club.
The Patriots held a 3-0 halftime lead after 30 minutes that at best were boring.
Manning and the first-team offense played into the second quarter and never got into New England territory. The closest New York got was its own 49 in the next to last play of the half.
Manning was 4 of 8 for 29 yards in four series against the Patriots' reserves, including three without making a first down.
Gostkowski provided the only points of the half with a 20-yard field goal a little more than 6 minutes into the second quarter. The 12-play, 51-yard drive was kept alive by a third-down facemask penalty against Giants linebacker Spencer Paysinger as he tackled Brandon Bolden well short of a first down at the Giants 36.
If there was anything interesting in the first half it was the work of referee Don King and his crew on a day the NFL announced that it would open the regular season next week with replacement officials.
King took about 5 minutes and three announcements to the crowd at MetLife Stadium to explain that there were two penalties against the Giants on a punt by New York's Steve Weatherford.
At first, King said it was a penalty on each team. He then corrected that to an illegal formation and a personal foul against the Giants, and then the officials had to meet for a couple of minutes to figure out how much yardage to access New York. They settled on five and Patriots coach Bill Belichick came out to question the decision.
The crowd got restless after third announcement.
King also seemed to muff the Giants calling a running into the kicker penalty in the second quarter, roughly 7 seconds after Zoltan Mesko kicked the ball.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin also questioned King early in the fourth quarter when the officials picked up a flag seemingly thrown for the Patriots having 12 men in the huddle before a 54-yard field goal by Tynes.
King said New England called time out before the play. The Giants eventually decided to punt.
