The New York Giants topped their local rival New York Jets 29-14 behind one of the best defensive performances the team has seen in a long time. Despite the Jets gaining momentum early behind a few seemingly easy defensive stops and a touchdown drive that was capped off with tight end Josh Baker’s first score in the NFL, the Giants rallied quickly and were able to take a lead into halftime.
Down 7-3 late in the first half, the G-Men were backed up to their own one-yard line facing a third down. Eli Manning hit wide receiver Victor Cruz on the right sideline and some elusive speed and crafty moves brought him 99 yards downfield for the longest play in franchise history. The Jets were stunned, and they never recovered as it all went downhill for Gang Green from that point forward.
Mark Sanchez’s inconsistency and inaccuracy was on full display all day long, as he threw an unimaginable 59 times in spite of the run game seeing success throughout the game. He completed just 30 of those passes for 258 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
The Jets kept forcing the pass, an attempt to capitalize on a Giants secondary that has been less than stellar this season. But it didn’t work, and the game plan was never adjusted. Shonn Greene looked solid, carrying the rock 14 times for 58 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson added another five carries for 29 yards. They averaged 4.6 yards per carry between the two of them, but saw the ball on a just one third of offensive plays. For comparison, Sanchez averaged 4.4 yards per pass attempt.
But the Giants defense deserves credit too, as they pressured him all game long and sacked him five times, two of those coming from second-year defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. And when Sanchez gets pressured, he makes mistakes. Kenny Phillips and Corey Webster were on the receiving end of two Sanchez passes, key interceptions that kept the Jets off the field and kept the ball in the Giants’ hands.
“This is a big win because of everything that was on the line,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. “We knew we had to win this game to have a shot to keep ourselves in the playoff hunt. It wasn’t the prettiest game offensively that we’ve ever played, but we didn’t make many mistakes. We didn’t force things and put ourselves in harm’s way and there were a couple of big plays, key plays by this team to get the win.”
Manning had a quiet day, completing just 9 of 27 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. That pick came in the fourth quarter, just one play after a Sanchez fumble gave them the ball with a chance to run the clock out if they converted a few first downs. In an effort to stay aggressive, the Giants called a pass play, but David Harris read it perfectly and snatched the ball in opponent territory. The Jets walked right back into the game a few plays later, as Sanchez ran one in for a touchdown that cut the Giants’ lead to just one score at 20-14.
Any hopes of a glorious comeback died quickly though. The Jets forced a punt, went three-and-out, and forced another punt, starting with the ball at their own eight yard line with 2:24 remaining in the game. Chris Canty sacked Sanchez on the first play of the drive in the end zone for a safety that gave the Giants the ball and a 22-14 lead. Ahmad Bradshaw ran it in 19 yards for a touchdown a few plays later for good measure and that was all she wrote.
Bradshaw rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries and scored twice, the first touchdown coming late in the third quarter. Brandon Jacobs tacked on another 42 yards on seven carries. D.J. Ware completed the three-headed ground attack with 20 yards on three carries.
If you had any doubt as to which New York football team is better, this game erased it. The Giants beat the Jets fair and square, in spite of some poor offensive play on their part. They are a better-coached, better-organized, better-prepared squad that seemed to have more heart than their New York rivals today. The game had playoff implications for both teams, and the Giants simply need a win next week to take the division crown. On the other hand, the Jets need a win and help, a lot of it. A
After two seasons as the self-proclaimed reigning New York champions, the Jets will have to hand over that virtual title. Order in the football world was restored in MetLife Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
