*Giants.com breaks down takeaways from the 53-man roster announcement: *

Sitting 21 of 22 starters in the preseason finale, the New York Giants took a good look at a lot of different players in advance of Saturday's 4 p.m. roster deadline. Their performances did not make the decisions any easier with the backups leading the way to a victory in Foxborough.

In the postgame locker room, coach Ben McAdoo, knowing what was coming next, thanked everyone for their efforts as only 53 out of the 90 players will make it to Week 1. Some tough moves had to be made, but that's the nature of the game.

"We feel that we have more than 53 who can play," McAdoo said Friday.

**>> GIANTS ANNOUNCE 53-MAN ROSTER**

That, however, is the cutoff.

Here is a look at how the key competitions played out:

•   The Giants didn't rush their backup quarterback position this summer, alternating Geno Smith and Josh Johnson on the second and third teams while developing rookie third-round pick Davis Webb. The fourth preseason game only upped the competition as they all graded high, but the team ultimately moved ahead with Smith as the No. 2 behind Eli Manning. While Johnson has been in the league longer, Smith, a former Jet, has more starting experience. Webb, meanwhile, will be the No. 3 QB.

•   The only box that kicker Aldrick Rosas hadn't checked before this season was the most important one: experience. The Giants did a few things to see how he would respond to pressure, notably bringing in 14-year veteran Mike Nugent for competition. They went kick for kick in the first three preseason games, but in the fourth, the coaches gave all of the responsibilities to Rosas. He rose to the occasion and remained perfect with four field goals, including a 48-yard winner as time expired against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Giants have moved ahead with Rosas and released the veteran.

•   McAdoo bunches fullbacks and tight ends together, and the decisions there had a ripple effect on the numbers game. Unlike last year, the Giants kept a traditional fullback in Shane Smith, who turned some heads Thursday night while paving the way for the Giants' best rushing game of the preseason. He was competing with Jacob Huesman, who was released.

•   Tight end was one of the most improved positions on the roster with the arrival of veteran Rhett Ellison and first-round pick Evan Engram. After them, the competition got interesting. LaCosse, who had shown flashes but was unable to stay healthy the last two years, made the cut. He had the best final audition of anyone, catching two touchdowns and setting up the game-winning field goal against the Patriots with back-to-back receptions. Will Tye, who started 18 games over the last two seasons, including one playoff start, was the odd man out.

•   Outside of the starting three, there were a lot of moving pieces in the linebacker room this summer because of injuries. Calvin Munson made the most of the increased workload and stuck on the 53-man roster. Curtis Grant, who played all three positions this summer and led the team in tackles in New England, was waived. Meanwhile, J.T. Thomas continues his comeback from a torn ACL and made the roster. Mark Herzlich was placed on injured reserve.

•   Like the secondary, the Giants have one of the best units in the league at wide receiver. The back end of the depth chart will include Roger Lewis and Tavarres King for another year. Travis Rudolph, an undrafted rookie who saw a lot of action with the first team when Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall were injured, was waived.

•   The Giants released Devin Taylor, the 6-foot-8 veteran defensive end who had an interception in the preseason opener but didn't record a tackle in the next two outings. That created more room for their young talent, including rookie fifth-round pick Avery Moss.

•   Sixth-round pick Adam Bisnowaty was the only member of the Giants' 2017 draft class who did not make the team. He spent the summer at right tackle on the second team behind Bobby Hart. Meanwhile, Chad Wheeler, an undrafted rookie from USC, made the cut after playing behind Ereck Flowers at left tackle.