• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The “Battle For New York” was all that it was hyped up to be, and then some. The New York Giants and New York Jets, gave their fans a great game that didn’t lack excitement. Sunday’s contest only happens once every four years. The Jets hadn’t won the rivalry game since they beat the Giants 10-6, back in 1993. The last overtime meeting between the two New York teams happened in 2003. The Giants came out on top in that game, 31-28.

To start the game it looked like the Giants were in full control. On the first Jets possession, the Giants defense forced a three and out. The defense was playing well, and getting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick. In the first quarter alone, the Giants had two sacks on Fitzpatrick.

Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson ... The Giants did a good job getting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick early on.
Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson … The Giants did a good job getting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick early on.

The Jets however, did a good job winning the possession battle (11:51-3:09) in the first quarter. This allowed the Jets to not let Eli Manning get in a rhythm to start. Manning had a quick three and out on his first possession, and had two incompletions.

The Jets were driving on their second possession, but the Giants defense stepped up in the red zone and forced a field goal. The Giants would go down 3-0, with 5:51 remaining in the first quarter.

The second quarter would be all the Giants, as they would rally to score 20 points. The Giants would go on to get a touchdown from both Odell Beckham Jr., and Dwayne Harris. Harris took a punt back 80 yards for a touchdown, to start the second quarter. That score made Harris the first Giant to have a kick return and punt return for touchdown in the same season, since Jim Patton in 1955. The Harris touchdown put the Giants up 7-3.

Credit: Bobby O’Hara/PureSportsNY … Jason Pierre-Paul had six tackles and a fumble recovery for the Giants Sunday afternoon.

The Giants defense would then go on to force a three and out on the Jets next possession. Jason Pierre-Paul looked great out there, being the disruptive force that we are used to seeing. Jasper Brinkley also played well for the Giants, and forced a fumble on the Jets second possession of the 2nd quarter. Brinkley made a tackle on Chris Ivory, and jarred the ball out with his helmet. Pierre-Paul was able to come up with the fumble recovery, and the Giant faithful showed their appreciation. The Giants only were able to score a field goal after the Jet turnover, and went up 10-3.

 

Following the Giants field goal, Fitzpatrick led a 9 play 5:37 drive that was capped with a Bilal Powell touchdown reception. Powell’s 22 yard touchdown reception was scored on a third and 15, and tied the game at 10-10. The Giants would answer right back, when Manning connected with Beckham Jr. for a 72 yard touchdown. Beckham Jr. showed great breakaway speed on the score, and celebrated by hurdling in the end zone. This put the Giants up 17-10, and they would go on to add another field goal before halftime. This gave the Giants a 20-10 lead, and in the driver’s seat to win the ball game.

The fourth quarter is where the game got very interesting, since in the third quarter both teams were held scoreless. It all started when towards the end of the quarter, the Jets had a bad defensive offside penalty on fourth down. This extended the drive instead of the Giants punting. The Giants would drive down the field, only to be intercepted on fourth and two on the Jets four yard line. The call to go for it by Tom Coughlin was a controversial one, but one that he emphatically stood by. If the Giants kick the field goal, they go up 13 points.

This was the turning point, because the Jets went on to score 13 unanswered points to win the game. The Giants secondary looked tired, and couldn’t contain Brandon Marshall or Eric Decker. Decker finished the game with eight receptions for 101 yards, and made key catches on both the game tying and game winning drives for the Jets. Marshall had 12 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown. Marshall caught the game tying touchdown, that sent the game to overtime.

Credit: Bobby O'Hara/PureSportsNY ... Brandon Marshall was locked in Sunday afternoon against the Giants
Credit: Bobby O’Hara/PureSportsNY … Brandon Marshall was locked in Sunday afternoon against the Giants

 

The Giants still had a chance to extend the game in overtime, after the Jets only  scored a field goal on their possession. A key drop on third down by Beckham Jr. was magnified, when he drew a delay of game penalty. Beckham Jr. kicked the ball in frustration, and gave his team a difficult fourth down and six. The young stud made up for his mistake, by making a tough 20 yard catch the very next play. However in typical Giant fashion, Josh Brown would go on to miss the game tying field goal. Brown had not missed a field goal all year, yet the Giants would fall to their rivals 23-20.

Beckham Jr. had a great game, finishing with six receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Manning had a decent game tallying 297 yards on 18 of 34 passing (1 TD, 1 INT). Will Tye has also been a bright spot for this team. Tye had 3 receptions for 70 yards, and could see more of an expanded role in the future.

The fact of the matter is that the Giants do not know how to finish games. After blowing their fifth fourth quarter lead this season, the Giants sit at 5-7 and third in the NFC East. Closing teams out has been an issue all year, and very well may prevent the Giants from a playoff berth. Another issue that arose, was the red zone efficiency. Sunday the Giants were 0-3 in red zone opportunities, and rank 31st in the NFL in red zone efficiency (40%). Had the Giants scored a touchdown in just one of those three opportunities, they would have won the game. You can’t win games in the NFL by just kicking field goals.

Also the Giants lack of a run game makes them easier to defend late in games. The Jets secondary started to lock in late in the game, because the run game was not a threat. Orleans Darkwa (a rookie) was the team’s leading rusher with just 23 yards on eight carries. Even if the Giants do make the playoffs, they will have a hard time advancing without a running game. The Giants offensive line has been plagued with injuries, and the lack of run game production has been reflective.

The Jets improved to 7-5, and are keeping pace for an AFC Wild Card spot. The Giants will go on the road to face the Miami Dolphins next Monday night. Every game is a must win for the Giants from this point on. With losses to the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles already this season, the Giants have not made it easy on themselves to win the division.

Credit: Bobby O'Hara/PureSportsNY ... Odell Beckham Jr. has 78 receptions on the year for 1,154 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Credit: Bobby O’Hara/PureSportsNY … Odell Beckham Jr. has 78 receptions on the year for 1,154 yards and 10 touchdowns.

STATS OF THE GAME: Beckham Jr. now has 22 straight games with four or more receptions, and five straight games with 100+ yards receiving. He now holds the record for most receptions by a player in his first two years in the NFL (169).

Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732

 

 

 

By Barry Holmes

Graduate of Millersville University, with a BS in Communications focused in Broadcast. Senior Writer & Social Media Manager for PureSportsNY.

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