The Patriots will look to continue their strong run of play this week when they welcome the New York Giants to Gillette Stadium. After dropping the season opener, the Patriots have won three of their last four games, including a 38-30 win in a slugfest with the Tennessee Titans last Sunday in Foxborough. New England will try to keep its momentum going this week against a Giants club embarking on a string of five road games in a seven-week span.

The Patriots offense is coming off of its most productive running game (6.0 yards per carry) since the 1998 regular-season finale. The Patriots have run for over 100 yards as a team in four of their five games and last week used three rushing touchdowns to help take out Tennessee. But, the New England ground game will face a hefty challenge in a Giants defense that just last week held Miami's Ricky Williams to just 39 yards on 22 carries (1.8 yards per carry).

On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots will have to contend with a triple passing threat from the Giants, whose aerial attack ranks sixth in the NFL. Co-leading tacklers Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison (36 stops apiece) will lead the Patriots defense against an offense that features tight end Jeremy Shockey and wideouts Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer. The Patriots defense has been effective in allowing just two passing touchdowns all season, but it will face a challenging matchup considering the targets quarterback Kerry Collins has at his disposal.

The Patriots and Giants are squaring off in the regular season for just the third time since 1990, and the last three games in the series between the regional rivals have been decided by an average of two points. But the past aside, this game promises to be a tough battle as each team tries to improve their early-season record.

TELEVISION:
This week's game will be televised by FOX. The game can be seen locally on WFXT-TV Channel 25 in Boston. Kenny Albert will handle the play-by-play duties and NFL All-Pro Daryl Johnston will provide analysis. Following the game, the Fifth Quarter postgame show can be seen on WSBK-TV Channel 38 in Boston.

RADIO:
WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 27th season as the voice of the Patriots, and calls the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. In 2003, Santos and Cappelletti celebrate their 20th season as a broadcast tandem.

PATRIOTS VS. NFC
New England is 7-2 in its last nine games against NFC opposition, dating back to the 2001 season. The streak includes the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXVI win over St. Louis. The Patriots have won four of their last five against the NFC, including a 31-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week Two. New England posted identical 3-1 records against the NFC in 2001 and 2002. This season, the Patriots are 1-1 against the NFC, defeating Philadelphia and dropping a nail-biter at Washington in Week Four, 20-17.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Patriots are 7-3 at Gillette Stadium since their new home opened in 2002, including a 2-0 record this season. Including preseason games, the Patriots are 11-3 (.786) all-time at Gillette. The Patriots have won five of their last six home games and are 13-5 (.722) at home since 2001. Foxborough has proven to be a very hospitable place for the Patriots since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. Since that time, the Patriots hold a 65-33 (.663) record at home, including preseason, regular season and postseason games.

SERIES HISTORY
The New England Patriots and New York Giants meet for the seventh time this week. The regular-season series is deadlocked at three games apiece, with the Patriots owning a two-game winning streak, including wins in 1996 and 1999. The series with New York dates back to 1970, the year of the AFL-NFL merger, when the Patriots fell to New York by a 16-0 score at Harvard Stadium. The last two games between the teams have been decided by a total of three points. The Patriots escaped with a 16-14 win in their last meeting in 1999. Before that, New England stole a 23-22 win late in the 1996 season as it rebounded from a 22-3 fourth-quarter deficit at Giants Stadium to clinch a playoff berth. The teams have a deeper history in preseason play, where they have met 14 times, including in a 26-6 Patriots win to open the 2003 preseason on Aug. 7, 2003. Including this year, the teams have met in the preseason opener for three straight seasons.

PATRIOTS 3, GIANTS 3

MEMORABLE MATCHUPS
Aug. 15, 1971— The Patriots defeated the Giants 20-14 in the opening preseason game at the old Foxboro Stadium.

Dec. 21, 1996— The Patriots rallied from a 22-3 fourth-quarter deficit to clinch a playoff spot with a 23-22 win at Giants Stadium.

Aug. 10, 2001— New England began its Super Bowl championship season with a 14-0 preseason shutout of the NFC champion Giants.

THE LAST TIME
Patriots 16, Giants 14 – September 26, 1999

New England held off a late Giants charge and held on for a 16-14 win to improve to 3-0 on the 1999 season. The Giants took a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Patriots scored 16 unanswered points to take a 16-7 lead with 3:12 left in the game. New York scored a late touchdown on a 1-yard pass from Kent Graham to Tiki Barber, but the Patriots recovered the onside kick and closed out the win.

Drew Bledsoe completed 20-of-28 passes for 233 yards, and running back Terry Allen got the Patriots on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run. Adam Vinatieri was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal tries, and Terry Glenn was the Patriots' leading receiver with five catches for 95 yards.

TALE OF THE TAPE

PATRIOTS – GIANTS QUICK HITS
- The Patriots are hosting an NFC East team at Gillette Stadium for the first time.

• In the decades leading up to the founding of the American Football League in 1960, many football fans in New England followed the Giants. New England teams such as the Providence Steam Roller (1925-31), the Boston Redskins (1932-36) and the Boston Yanks (1944-48) folded or moved away, leaving the Giants as the closest NFL team to New England.

• The Patriots have only played the Giants six times before this week. It is the fewest number of meetings the Patriots have had with any non-expansion team. The only NFL teams the Patriots have played fewer times than the Giants are Tampa Bay (5 meetings), Jacksonville (4), Carolina (2), Baltimore (2) and Houston (0).

CONNECTIONS
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was on the Giants coaching staff for 12 seasons (1979-90) and was New York's defensive coordinator for its 1986 and 1990 Super Bowl victories.

• Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel (1981-92) and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis (1990-92) each spent time on the Giants coaching staff.

• Patriots inside linebackers coach Pepper Johnson played for the Giants from 1986-92 and was a member of two of the organization's Super Bowl champion teams, 1986 and 1990.

• Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli was born in Washingtonville, N.Y., which is about 60 miles north of New York City.

• Patriots wide receiver David Patten was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Giants in 1997. He spent three seasons with the Giants (1997-99) and returned 84 kickoffs for 1,724 yards (20.5 avg) and one touchdown.

• Patriots tackle Tom Ashworth and tight end Daniel Graham were one year ahead of Giants rookie center Wayne Lucier at Colorado. Patriots tight end Christian Fauria and linebacker Ted Johnson also played at Colorado.

• Patriots quarterback Tom Brady played in the same class at Michigan as Giants linebacker Dhani Jones. Patriots cornerback Ty Law and Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer also played one year apart at Michigan.

• Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry's senior year at California was Giants cornerback Kato Serwanga's freshman year.

• Giants cornerback Kato Serwanga was signed as a rookie free agent by the Patriots in 1998, and participated on the practice squad and the active roster that season.

• Patriots quarterback Rohan Davey and defensive lineman Jarvis Green played four years of college football at Louisiana State with Giants safety Ryan Clark.

• Patriots wide receiver David Givens played three years behind Giants tackle Luke Petitgout at Notre Dame.

• Patriots defensive back Antwan Harris' freshman year at the University of Virginia was Giant running back Tiki Barber's senior year.

• Patriots guard Russ Hochstein was one class behind Giants cornerback Ralph Brown.

• Patriots fullback Fred McCrary and Giants safety Johnnie Harris played football together at Mississippi State.

• Patriots rookie cornerback Eugene Wilson played four years of college football with Giants rookie guard David Diehl at Illinois.

• Giants defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker was a Patriots defensive assistant for three seasons (1998-00).

• Giants punter Jeff Feagles was signed as a rookie free agent by the Patriots in 1988 (May 1, 1988).

• Patriots Guard Joe Andruzzi is from Staten Island, N.Y., where he was an offensive and defensive tackle at Tottenville High School.

• Patriots tight end Christian Fauria attended the same high school as New York Giants safety Shaun Williams, Crespi High School in Encino, Calif.

THIS WEEK IN PATRIOTS HISTORY
The Patriots have a 12-13 record in Week Six since the NFL went to the 16-game schedule in 1978. Below are some memorable moments in Patriots history from the week of Oct. 6 – Oct. 12.

Oct. 6, 1996— The Patriots held off a comeback from the Baltimore Ravens to win 46-38 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The teams' 84 combined points that day are the second most in Patriots history and the victory raised the Patriots' record to 3-2 en route to a berth in Super Bowl XXXI.

Oct. 6, 1974— New England crushed the Baltimore Colts 42-3, marking the fourth biggest margin of victory in franchise history. The victory was the fourth in a run of five straight wins to start the 1974 season, the best start in franchise history.

Oct. 8, 1967— In a game moved to San Diego due to the 1967 World Series at Fenway Park, the Boston Patriots and San Diego Chargers fought to a 31-31 tie. It was the ninth tie in franchise history, and the Patriots have not tied a game since. New England is currently working on a 546-game streak without a tie.

Oct. 10, 1993— The Patriots beat the Phoenix Cardinals 23-21 at Sun Devil Stadium to give Bill Parcells his first win as head coach of the Patriots. Ben Coates caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Scott Secules with 3:56 left in the game to give New England the victory, and Andre Tippett led the Patriots defense with six solo tackles and a pair of sacks.

Oct. 12, 1980— The Patriots rolled to a 34-0 shutout over the Miami Dolphins at Schaefer Stadium. It is New England's widest margin of victory over Miami and one of two shutouts the Patriots own over the Dolphins (the other coming by a 3-0 margin in the "Snow Plow Game" in 1982).

QUICK HITS
- Anthony Pleasant dropped Steve McNair for a 12-yard loss with a sack in the first quarter. It was the 58th sack of Pleasant's career and his first tackle of the season. The 12-yard loss was the greatest loss of yardage on a Patriots sack in 12 games, dating back to when Willie McGinest and Ted Johnson teamed up to tackle Buffalo's Drew Bledsoe for a 14-yard loss on Nov. 3, 2002.

• Steve McNair threw for 391 yards in the losing effort. The Patriots are now 15-2 since 1996 when an opposing quarterback throws for 300 yards or more. McNair was the first quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards against the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe (328) on Dec. 8, 2002.

• The Patriots put up 161 yards rushing against a Tennessee defense which ranked third in the NFL and had given up just 63.3 yards rushing per game entering the game.

• The 161 yards rushing were the most since the Patriots racked up 163 at the New York Jets in a 44-7 win on Sept. 15, 2002.

• Michael Cloud's two rushing touchdowns were the most for the Patriots since Antowain Smith ran for two against Cleveland at Foxboro Stadium on Dec. 9, 2001.

• The Patriots forced their opponents to settle for a field goal on their opening drive for the third straight game.

• Tom Brady completed passes of more than 10 yards to six different receivers.

The Patriots projected season rushing yardage total for the 2003 season if they keep up their pace of 116 yards per game.

1995

The last season in which the Patriots ran for over 1,859 yards as a team. That year, New England totaled 1,866 yards in Curtis Martin's rookie season.

6.0

The Patriots' yards-per-carry figure from last week's game against Tennessee.

72

The number of games the Patriots have played since they last averaged 6.0 yards per carry or more, dating back to December 27, 1998.

MOVING ON UP
825

The number of career receptions made by fullback Larry Centers.

7

Centers' rank on the NFL's all-time receptions list.

27

The number of receptions Centers needs to pass Irving Fryar (851) and move into sixth place on the NFL's all-time receptions list.

0

The number of running backs who have caught more passes in their career than Centers.

SEVEN YEARS AND COUNTING
93-63

The Patriots' record in preseason, regular-season and postseason games since 1996 (.596 win pct.).

66-51

The Patriots' regular-season record since 1996 (.564 win pct).

6-3

The Patriots' postseason record since 1996 (.667 win pct.).

21-9

The Patriots' preseason record since 1996 (.700 win pct).

NOT HALF BAD
14

The number of consecutive games the Patriots have won when leading at halftime.

17-1

The Patriots record in their last 18 games in which they have led at halftime.

19

The number of consecutive games the Patriots have won when leading after three quarters.

THE KRAFT ERA
96

The number of consecutive Patriots preseason, regular-season and postseason home games that have been sold out since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994.

201

The number of consecutive Patriots games that have been televised locally.

65-33

The Patriots record at home since 1994, including preseason, regular-season and postseason games.

11-3

The Patriots record at Gillette Stadium, including preseason and regular-season games (.786 winning percentage).

THIRD DOWN DOMINANCE

3

The number of times the Patriots have held their opponents under 30 percent on third downs this season.

3

The number of times the Patriots held their opponents under 30 percent on third downs all of last season.

9-1

The Patriots record in their last 10 games when holding their opponents under 30 percent on third downs.

TOMMY GUN
33-13

Tom Brady's record as a starting quarterback in the NFL, including preseason, regular-season and postseason games.

.717

Brady's winning percentage as a starter (including all games).

3-0

Brady's career postseason record.

5-0

Brady's career overtime record (including postseason).

MILESTONES

208

The number of punt returns Troy Brown has made in his career.

1

Brown's rank on the Patriots' all-time leading punt returners list. He passed Irving Fryar with his 207th punt return last week against the Titans.

436

The number of receptions Brown has made in his career.

55

The number of receptions Brown needs to move ahead of Ben Coates (490) into second place on the Patriots all-time reception list.

5,053

The number of receiving yards Brown has chalked up in his career.

4

Brown's rank on the Patriots all-time receiving yardage list. He passed Jim Colclough (5,001 yards) last week against the Titans.

62

The number of consecutive games, including the playoffs, that Troy Brown has appeared in which he has at least one reception.

2

Ty Law's rank on the Patriots' all-time interceptions list. He passed the trio of Ron Hall, Roland James and Fred Marion to take sole possession of second place on the all-time list with his 30th career pick against the Titans last week.

2

The number of Patriots in franchise history to record 30 career interceptions (Ty Law and Raymond Clayborn).

7

The number of interceptions Law needs to move ahead of Clayborn (36) to claim the franchise record.

1

Adam Vinatieri's rank on the franchise's all-time field goals list, having kicked 193 successful field goals.

1

Kevin Faulk's rank on the franchise's all-time kickoff returners' list, with 144 returns for 3,309 yards and two touchdowns.