In the highly anticipated Week 7 matchup between the Jets and Giants, both teams failed to meet offensive expectations. Ironically, both teams had focused their offseasons on boosting their offensive weapons to create a higher-scoring team. The Giants worked to secure running back Saquon Barkley for the 2023 season for $11 million and signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year $160 million contract that locked Jones up for what should be the prime of his career.
As for the Jets, they made headlines by trading for future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers for several high-end draft picks. To bolster the offense, the Jets also brought in Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay teammate Allen Lazard and former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. However, neither Daniel Jones nor Aaron Rodgers played in the game as a result of neck and Achilles injuries to the respective players. This left the Giants with veteran backup Tyrod Taylor who had performed well in the games prior and has a reputation for being a high-end backup quarterback who can perform when needed. The Jets had third-year player Zach Wilson, who had been the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, but due to poor performances, he had been benched several times over his first two seasons. These were two main factors that led to the final score of 13-10 when the two faced head-to-head.
The game started in a rough spot for the Jets when Zach Wilson got strip-sacked on the first drive setting up a 31-yard field goal for Giants kicker Graham Gano. The following six combined drives by the team resulted in punts, with not one third-down conversion between them. Jets punter Thomas Morstead pinned the Giants deep in their territory, giving the Jets optimal field position when the Jets forced another three-and-out from the Giants. This led to the Jets starting at midfield, where on the first play a dump-off pass from Wilson to running back Breece Hall led to a 50-yard touchdown.
The Giants answered by moving the ball over 40 yards until the drive stalled outback the Jets’ 29-yard line, where Gano missed a 47-yard field goal in the early 2nd quarter. Following this scoring outburst, the teams combined for another six punts, being unable to convert on third down. On a scramble by Giants QB Tyrod Taylor, Jets LB C.J. Mosley landed awkwardly on top of him, knocking him out of the game. This prompted undrafted rookie Tommy Devito, a native of Cedar Grove, to hop in his first NFL game. Midway through the 2nd quarter, Jets center Connor McGovern went down with what would later be classified as a dislocated kneecap. Their backup center Joe Tippman had already been made inactive due to an injury, and on the following drive, third-string center and guard Wes Schweitzer was plugged in, until he too went down after a third down sack. This led to newly promoted Xavier Newman, who had never snapped the ball to Zach Wilson before, to hop in at center, leading to a botched snap on their first play together. The Giants were not able to take advantage, and after a few three-and-outs between the teams, the game went into halftime 10-0 Jets.
On the 3rd quarter’s opening drive, the Giants drove 75 yards down the field by feeding the ball to Saquon Barkley, ending in Tommy Devito scoring a TD with his legs. The next 8 drives resulted in punts, with only two plays that resulted in 10 or more yards. With a little more than 90 seconds remaining in the game, Kayvon Thibodeaux sacked Zach Wilson, forcing a turnover on downs deep into Jets territory. Moments later, Giants kicker Graham Gano missed a field goal from 35 yards out. This gave the Jets 24 seconds to drive the ball into field goal range, which they did, with consecutive 29-yard completions to Gerrit Wilson and Allen Lazard, leading to a 35-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein to send the game to OT. The Giants started with the ball in overtime, but after three plays, they were forced to punt. This opened the door to the Jets, who were the beneficiaries of a 30-yard pass interference call. Zuerlein then kicked a game-winning 33-yard FG.
The story of this game was both offenses’ inability to put points on the board. While injuries did play a large role in the game, NFL teams live by the standard “next man up.” While the Giants are effectively eliminated from playoff contention, this game is not a good sign for the Jets, who seemed outcoached and outmanned. Both defensive lines dominated, disrupting the offensive game plans for both sides. As a result of the game, the Jets moved to 4-3 while the Giants dropped to 2-6.
