Bragging Rights and Playoff Implications on the Line
When you think of football rivals you think of, Cowboys versus Giants, Patriots versus Jets, Giants versus Eagles, Jets versus Dolphins, and Steelers versus Ravens, Colts versus Patriots. These type of games as a player get you more pumped and wanting to win even more. This Sunday in East Rutherford, NJ the Giants look to continue their dominance in being the Big brothers of New York/ New Jersey teams when they take on the New York Jets. The Jets have unfinished business because of the beating they took from the Giants in 2011, when the giants beat them. The win by the Giants that year turned the season around because it lead them to winning the Superbowl. This also has bigger implications because both of these teams need this win to keep pace in the playoff race. The last time the Jets beaten the Giants was in 1993 when Boomer Esiason was quarterback for the Jets, and Phil Simms for the Giants. The New York Jets not want to be known as the little brother of the New York teams anymore. The Players want to win this game to let everyone know that the Jets are taking over as the team of New York and the team in Metlife Stadium.
This week in New York is a special week for those who are sports fans, because three of the four New York professional leagues are competing against one another. The matchups are the New York Islanders versus New York Rangers in hockey last night, the Brooklyn Nets versus New York Knicks in basketball on Friday night, and then football this Sunday. This game on Sunday usually happens every few years because both of these teams play in two different divisions. These type of games are ones that get the fans excited because of all the trash talking and the all the publicity it will bring. Players from both teams even get into the trash talking because of how much they want to win this game. It will be a very competitive game in all these matchups which fans enjoy a lot more. This game could possibly turn a season around for team in the right direction, or it could lead the team to play worse the rest of the season.
The New York Giants are in a very weak division in the NFC East. They are battling for the division with the Washington Redskins who are both 5 and 6, with the Redskins on top because of the tie breaker. The Giants looked flat last week against Washington, they put themselves in a hole by being down twenty points. They were almost able to make a tremendous comeback to win the game but had fallen short. Eli Manning wasn't being careful with the football, when he needed to be, because he threw three costly interceptions. Eli is a very good Quarterback but this season he hasn't been playing like himself. He tries to force to many throws into tight situations where you would shack your head. What is also a big question going into Sundays matchup is who will be on the offense line for the Giants. The offense line has so many injuries that they are playing with guys out of position. The Giants will need to put some experience in front of Eli Manning to protect him against the New York Jets defensive frontline.
The Giants wide receivers with the exception of Odell Beckham Jr. need to step up to help out in the passing game. The one person who I think could shine is Shane Vereen, who has hurt the New York Jets in the past when he used to play for the New England Patriots. Vereen could help out with screen passing plays, and he could help out in the short passing situations. His stats this season are down compared to what they used to be. Even though he is an older player, another key player would be Hakeem Nicks. Nicks could help open up the field so that Beckham could get open. When Nicks was on the Giants he used to be a big playmaker. He needs to step up for the Giants because Beckham can't do all the work by himself. Ruben Randle is also another player who can hurt the Jets because the Jets secondary is banged up. Randle has made big plays this year, some of the plays he has produced have been game changers.
The biggest concern on Sunday will be the New York Giants' defense who are ranked the worst in the league. They are going to need to stop the run with the way the Jets run the ball with Chris Ivory, they will need to gang tackle him. Ivory had a good game this past weekend against the Dolphins. Ivory played the game last Sunday like he was out to make a statement which he did. The secondary for the Giants will need to step up big; because they will have to work on stopping the tandem of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. These two have been playing very well this season. I think that Prince Amukamara, and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie will need to have their best game in order to stop the Jets passing game. They are worst in the turnover margin as well, which is huge in any NFL game.
The New York Jets are in a tough battle for the Wildcard in the AFC, with them being a three way tie for the final wildcard. This season has been up and down with how this team has performed. Coach Todd Bowles let his team know how he felt they were playing two weeks ago after the lost to the Houston Texans. Coach Bowles must have gotten the word across to the team because the way they played was very impressive, in all phases of the game this past Sunday. The team came out playing lose and fast and made the dolphins looked like they didn't deserve to be on the same field. The offense looked very flat in the beginning, but started to pick it up after a few series. The Defense played very hard, and made the offense for the dolphins have a nightmare of a day. The New York Jets defensive front of Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison, Leonard Williams, and Muhammad Wilkerson could be a huge problem for the beat up Giants offensive line. It will be hard for the giants to run the ball because the Jets are among leagues best in stopping the run.
The people who I think will need to step for Jets this weekend is, Devon Smith on the offensive side of the ball, and the secondary for the Jets on the defensive side of the ball. Devon Smith the rookie out of Ohio State can be a huge problem on Sunday, if he continues to built on the positive things he did this past Sunday when he made big plays against the dolphins. He has been struggling in getting use to the style of offense the Jets run compared to what he was used to in college. He worked very hard in getting better, and started to show some hope when he caught his first career touchdown. He has the speed that will allow him to break loose for a big play.
The secondary for the Jets are hurting, and have not been playing up to par this season with allowing big plays. This offseason the Jets spent a lot of money to help bring in productive cornerbacks, up to this point they haven't performed up to there expectations. They will need to help out in producing turnovers this weekend and make Eli Manning make mistakes. When he has pressure on him he has a big tendency of making big mistakes that cost them the game. The Secondary will need to help one another in stopping Odell Beckham Jr. because no one has been able to stop him. If they play like they did against the Miami Dolphins then they should have no problem. This game is a chance for the Jets defense to make a huge statement in showing good they are.
Overall, this game is very hard to determine in who will win because of how good they are between both teams. I believe the running game will be a big priority for both teams in order for them to be successful. The New York Giants have the edge with a Superbowl winning coach and quarterback. Giants fans and Jets fans can do all the trash talking they want, but no one has the edge in this game. It will come down to one team having a big play happen, to gain full momentum of the game. Both teams are fighting for their postseasons lives; we will see who will want it more on Sunday. Usually I am able to give a prediction on the game, but it is very difficult on this one. I am just excited to see what will happen, and hopefully it will be one to remember.
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