The battle for bragging rights in New York/New Jersey takes place Sunday when the New York Jets face the New York Giants. The Jets (3-3) have won two straight, including a Week 6 upset against the Philadelphia Eagles. They should be refreshed coming off their bye and will have their starting cornerbacks — Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed — returning from concussion protocol.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Jets learned their lesson from last season when they upset the Buffalo Bills before the bye to move to 6-3 and followed that up with a terrible offensive showing in a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
Aaron Rodgers said during the preseason that MetLife Stadium, which the Jets and Giants share, will be “JetLife Stadium” this season. But this is a Giants (2-5) home game, and Rodgers, of course, won’t be playing. He will be on the Jets sideline again, though, coaching up Zach Wilson despite his Achilles injury. And if you listen to John Franklin-Myers, this isn't even a rivalry game for the Jets.
That said, let’s dive into some Jets' bold predictions for their Week 8 game against the Giants.
Carl Lawson, Dalvin Cook will each play for Jets, have little effect on outcome against Giants
Neither Carl Lawson nor Dalvin Cook is happy with his playing time with the Jets. Lawson said Thursday, “I’m a football player, I’m not a cheerleader.” And each veteran seems open to being traded before the deadline early next week.
But there’s a game to play Sunday and each player could have an impact against the Giants. The sad reality, though, is that neither will.
Lawson, who’s lost his starting job as the edge rusher to Jermaine Johnson and has been inactive twice this season, will dress and see fewer reps than Johnson and Bryce Huff. As has been the case in the previous four games he’s played, Lawson won’t have a sack or make much impact.
With the Giants focused on stopping Breece Hall as the Jets’ go-to guy on offense, Cook could get more opportunities to make plays. He’s averaging only 2.8 yards per carry, but Cook was a bit more effective against the Eagles. That positive trend will continue against the Giants, but don’t expect to see the explosive Cook who earned four straight trips to the Pro Bowl to emerge this week either.
Bryce Huff has two sacks, Leonard Williams has pair for Giants in a tight defensive game
Speaking of Huff, he’s turned into a ferocious and trusted pass rusher for the Jets. Even though the Giants’ offensive line is healthier this week, Huff is going to go off against one of the weaker units in the NFL. Huff will lead the way with two sacks, and the Jets will bring down Giants QB Tyrod Taylor five times.
But this won’t be a one-sided affair. The Giants are going to get after Zach Wilson and the Jets’ beleaguered, beat-up O-line. Look for the improving Giants defense to also produce five sacks, with former Jets first-round pick Leonard Williams snagging a pair.
Jets will start slow, fail to score touchdown in first quarter again
The Jets have been outscored 44-5 in the first quarter this season, and this disturbing trend of slow starts will continue on Sunday.
Expect the Jets to go a seventh straight game to start the season without scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. Key to this will be the Giants shutting down Hall and forcing Wilson into third-and-long time and again.
The one bright spot will be that the Jets' defense will hold the Giants off the scoreboard, as well, in the first quarter. That will set the stage for a tight defensive game.
Greg Zuerlein will be the difference and kick the Jets to a 19-13 win against Giants
It’s not going to be pretty Sunday at MetLife. Neither offense is great. Each defense is very good. And the weather is expected to be nasty.
Each team has a terrific kicker capable of being the difference maker. But it says here that Greg Zuerlein, 14-of-15 on field goal attempts this season, will outduel Graham Gano and kick four more Sunday to lift the Jets to their third straight win.
At the end of the day, the Jets will create more opportunities for Zuerlein because they are the better team.
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