The New England Patriots and New York Giants are currently setting football back a decade with their awful matchup on Sunday, but there has been some action worth discussing. Early in the fourth quarter, Pats punt returner Demario Douglas got clotheslined by Giants linebacker Cam Brown, fumbled and was injured on the play. It was an absolutely brutal hit.

The hit came on a punt return as the Giants kicked it away with 14:16 left in the game. Douglas fielded the ball on the Pats' 25-yard line and returned it five yards when he got absolutely lit up by Brown. Douglas dropped the ball, and it rolled out of bounds as both teams tried to recover it.

Check this hit out:

And here's the close-up on replay:

Is that legal? There was no flag on the play but Patriots players weren't happy and a scrum ensued.

No word on if Douglas is OK or not.

To add insult to injury, Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe threw an interception three plays later. If you're still watching that game, please reach out to us and let us know why. There's not an NFL-caliber quarterback on either roster.

This article was originally published on thebiglead as Patriots Return Man Demario Douglas Got Clotheslined By Cam Brown.