Once every four years, New York and New Jersey’s biggest fan bases go head-to-head when the Giants and Jets face off. This year's matchup had so much hype in the preseason that some thought it should be the Monday Night Football matchup to open the season. Instead, they met in Week 8 at a time when both teams were under-performing.
All week long, Giants and Jets fans called into local radio stations to weigh in on the game—many of which bashed the opposing fan base with words like “delusional” or “cocky.” The pre-game hype was brewing, and viewers knew they were in for a good matchup. Finally, gameday arrived—and fans packed into Metlife Stadium to see who would have bragging rights for the next four years.
The game, as most would expect, was sluggish and filled with nothing on either offensive end. The Jets' opening drive lasted all of five plays before they turned the ball over on a strip sack from Kayvon Thibodeaux. Big Blue was able to tack on three points with a Graham Gano field goal to get the scoring going.
Both offenses traded punts throughout the quarter, going three and out for the most part. Tyrod Taylor and Zach Wilson both couldn't do anything with the ball, and neither could either running game.
Gang Green finally broke through to end the 1st quarter on a high note. After a punt set the Jets up at midfield, Wilson found Breece Hall—who took it 50 yards to the house, giving the Jets a 7-3 lead going into the 2nd quarter.
After the Giants missed on an opportunity to put points on the board with a missed field goal by Gano, the rest of the quarter was some of the most uneventful football fans will see. Aside from Wilson’s second fumble of the game, there were eight—that's right, EIGHT—punts in the 2nd quarter alone. The score remained 7-3 in favor of the Jets as the game headed into the half.
The Giants learned late in the 2nd quarter that Taylor was not going to return for the remainder of the game, and New Jersey native Tommy DeVito was going to have to lead the team the rest of the way. DeVito and company hit the ground running in the second half, driving down the field into Jets territory.
Big Blue went 55 yards on 15 plays, and DeVito capped off the drive by scampering six yards into the end zone—giving the Giants a 10-7 lead to start the second half. After the Giants took the lead, once again both New York offenses would punt eight straight times to each other. Finally, Gano missed his second field goal of the game, and the Gang Green offense had one final shot to either tie or win the game late in the 4th quarter.
Starting from their own 25-yard line, Wilson connected with both Garrett Wilson and Lazard to set up Greg Zuerlein for a 35-yard field goal. Zuerlein’s kick sailed through the rain and wind and sent this battle of New York teams into Overtime.
The Giants won the coin toss to start the Overtime period and did absolutely nothing with the ball. An offensive holding penalty backed them up, and Big Blue was forced to punt. The Jets took over at their own 39 and were helped out by a pair of costly Giants penalties. Two different pass interference penalties on 3rd downs got the Jets into field goal range, and gave “Greg the Leg" a chance to win it. Zuerlein's kick just squeaked through the uprights, and Gang Green walked it off against their NFC rivals. Final score: Jets 13 Giants 10.
After the game, Wilson was asked about the team's resilience: " The defense is definitely keeping us there. Those guys are doing an unbelievable job of getting those three-and-out stops, especially today. They’re getting us the ball a lot. We needed to be able to extend some drives. With a defense like that, I think we are always going to be in close games. We have to keep leaning on those guys. We need to play more balanced football and help them out offensively by scoring some points and converting on some third downs,” Wilson told the media.
This game marks the Jets’ 4th win of the year, and they advance to 4-3. In contrast, the Giants drop to 2-6 on the year with their season crumbling. The Jets will host the LA Chargers next week as they look to continue their winning ways.
