The Jets have come out on top in the battle of the big apple.
The New York Jets defeated their fellow New York NFL team the Giants 13-10 in a matchup that only happens once every 4 years in the league. The game was a very gritty and defense oriented game all throughout, which ended after a nail biting trip to overtime which saw the Jets capitalize on miscues by the Giants.
The first quarter started how most of the game would play out: very slow. This game would see the most punts on 4th down of any game since 2003, with both defenses being stiff and not allowing much ball movement. Another defining theme of this game was sadly that of Injuries. Giants Quarterback Tyrod Taylor would take a nasty fall which resulted in him breaking his ribs. Taylor, who himself is the backup to the injured Daniel Jones, would exit the game as the Giants would turn to the almost entirely unknown former Syracuse quarterback Tommy Devito. Devito would not have much chance to showcase his abilities as the Giants would rely on running plays almost exclusively for the remainder of the game following Taylor’s departure, a strategy which almost worked for them as Running Back Saquon Barkley would lead them to a small lead late in the game.
The Jets were also impacted by injuries, with players such as Connor McGovern and Wes Schweitzer going down. What perhaps was most devastating for the Jets however was the news that defensive tackle Al Woods would suffer a season-ending achilles tear. The injuries this week are more fuel to the fire towards the conversation about the dangers of turf fields in NFL stadiums. The turf field at Metlife Stadium in particular has been ridiculed by players and fans alike starting all the way back in week 1 with the devastating injury to Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Although both teams were low scoring throughout the game, it remained a back and forth competitive game throughout. The Jets would end up taking the win due to them taking advantage of some crucial mistakes by the Giants. With just seconds to go in the game, the Giants decided to kick a field goal on 4th and 1 which if made would put them up by 6 points, all but forcing the Jets to score a touchdown to win. However, Giants kicker Graham Gano would end up missing the crucial kick. This gave the Jets the opportunity to get themselves in field goal position in the ensuing drive and ultimately make their field goal to send the game to overtime.
Once in overtime, the Giants would again fail to come up with a big play, as in their final drive of the game they would go 3 and out, setting up the Jets with good field positioning. This would subsequently lead to the Jets kicking the game winning field goal.
This game is another addition to the sparse history of Jets and Giants matchups. This game was special to New York football fans, as they will now wait another 4 years to see one like it again.