The Giants battle the Jets in a regular-season game on October 29, 2023. Photo via ESPN
The Battle of New York only occurs every four years, and this year’s edition was one for the ages.
The New York Giants battled the New York Jets in an NFL regular season matchup yesterday. Both teams share the same venue, but the Giants were officially the home team for this game. And both teams were also historically bad.
Offensive Slog
Both Gang Green and Big Blue managed to go a combined 4-for-33 on third downs. 15 out of 20 possessions in the first half alone resulted in punts, the most since 2000. It was a slog to watch on both sides as the game was more commercials than actual action, due to all the punts. Zach Wilson started for the Jets, while Tyrod Taylor started for the Giants with Daniel Jones still out due to a neck injury.
It would be the Giants to get on the board first, though, with a field goal which put them up 3-0. But the Jets would score a touchdown and extra point to make it 7-3 by the end of the first quarter. No team scored in the second, but that’s when Tyrod Taylor had to leave the game with a rib injury. He finished the game with only eight passing yards, going 4-for-7.
Third-String QB
Third-string QB Tommy DeVito entered the game midway through the second. He would open the third with an 11-play drive which resulted in his first touchdown, putting the Giants up 10-7. In the fourth, Zach Wilson was sacked on fourth-and-10 with 1:33 left in the game. It was smooth sailing and it appeared the Giants would notch an easy victory.
Until it wasn’t. With an opportunity to nail down the victory, Giants kicker Graham Gano missed the 35-yard kick. It was his second missed kick of the game, unusual for Gano, and this gave the Jets life. With 24 seconds left, Wilson and company got down the field on consecutive 29-yard passes, putting the Jets in field goal range. With one second left in regulation, the Jets would make the field goal kick, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime Woes
The Giants failed to make any noise in overtime, failing to convert a single first down. The Jets, however, reached the 45-yard line and gained an additional 30 yards due to a defensive pass interference penalty by the Giants. This put the Jets in field goal range and kicker Greg Zuerlein made the field goal to give the Jets the unfathomable 13-10 victory.
The Giants ran the ball 33 out of 34 times in the second half, only throwing the ball once. They had negative 9 net pass yards, their fewest ever since 1933. The two teams combined for more punts (24) than points (23) in the game, capping off an offensive nightmare for both clubs. However, it was the Giants who played a more pathetic game, and rightfully earned the loss.
One bright spot in Giants world is that Daniel Jones has been cleared to play next week versus the Raiders. However, they sit at 2-6, making it unlikely that this season will go anywhere. Meanwhile, the Jets sit at 4-3 and will play the Chargers at home next Monday.
