The Patriots receive the ball and start off firing. Brady continues the balanced attack of passing and handing off the ball in an attempt to eat up the clock. Sooner than I’m sure Belichick would like, the Patriots are facing third down. New York’s defense was a step too late, and New England was able to convert and keep their drive alive as they cross midfield.

Random thought: Four minutes have already ticked off the clock. Is this game going by quickly, or is it just me?

The blitzing New York defense is able to prevent another Patriot third-down conversion, which could be the start of some big momentum swing that the Giants desparetly need. But, New England is challenging the play arguing that there were too many New York players on the field.

New England wins the challenge and earn a first down as a result of the penalty. Very interesting turn of events for the Giants, who have yet to get onto the field in this quarter.

As the quarter continues, it is clear that Patriots are starting to shift into their second gear. You know the one. The gear that allows New England to start shutting down the opposing team’s defense by running down the clock and shoving the ball down their rival’s throat. It looks as though the Giants are about to break, and it could get ugly.

Shortly after I type that, however, Micahel Strahan sacks Tom Brady. Is Brady’s previously casted foot have anything to do with the number of sacks, or is the Giants defense just that good?

New England tries to go for it on fourth down, and fail. So, the Giants get the ball on their own 31-yard line.

Manning makes a heck of a throw and Toomer makes a heck of a catch, in between two defenders. Really nice throw by the younger Manning. Toomer makes another great catch close to the first-down marker.

Sidenote: Where is Plaxico Burress? He is eleven Patriot points away from making a fool of himself.

Oh, there he is. Triple-teamed in the end zone and just out of reach of Manning’s throw. If I type his name again, will they throw it his way again?

Once again, the Giants can not seem to convert a third down. They’ve been absolutely terrible in that department and they will not win this game if they keep killing their own drives.

Starting on their own five-yard line, Tom Brady is nearly sacked in the end zone. Brady, however, was able to get rid of the ball just in the nick of time. It was very close. Brady has been harassed all night.

Wes Welker makes two great catches on this drive, both of which have resulted in first downs with the bonus of big gains in yardage. This is that second gear I mentioned earlier. New England has now kicked it in, and it is starting to hum.

The Giants defense may end up being that butchered old luxury car from the Audi ad we saw in the first quarter. If the New York offense continues to stumble, this game will be over early in the fourth quarter. Why? Because it is now the end of the third.

As for the commercials in the third quarter, SalesGenie.com’s aim was to own the worst ad for the second year in a row. Mission accomplished.

Vitamin Water’s ad with Shaquille O’Neil was funny bit. From Shaq’s grin in the photo finish, to his win by a nose and the little kid picking his nose, it was a real pick-me-up after the offensive Chinese pandas.

Bridgestone had another ad, and I wonder, as watching it, if I’m the only one wishing that the car driver would have hit Richard Simmons. Terrible, I know, but still.

So, Disney/Pixar has a new movie coming soon called Wall E. Sorry, but the character looks like a rip-off of Johnny Number Five from Short Circuit.

OK, the E-Trade ad with the talking baby was just gross. The entire spit-up episode was just totally unnecessary. Besides, hasn’t the whole talking baby routine been done before anyway?