Dominant Defense: During the week, veteran ILB David Harris said the Giants would provide a measuring stick for the Jets. Well, Kacy Rodgers' crew was simply sensational over the first 30 minutes while holding the G-Men to just 47 total yards and 1-of-7 on third down. The Jets frequently used four-man fronts against their crosstown foes and they dominated the line of scrimmage. S Calvin Pryor had a bone-crushing sack of Eli Manning and totaled six tackles in the first 30 minutes and CB Darrelle Revis recorded his second interception in as many weeks.
Harris Sustains Injury: Speaking of Harris, he sustained a shoulder injury late in the second quarter and was ruled out. Harris collected 5 tackles before departing including 2 TFL. Head coach Todd Bowles said Harris is having more tests run on Sunday.
Forté, Wilkerson Make Debuts: While WR Brandon Marshall was given a night off, both RB Matt Forte and DL Muhammad Wilkerson saw their first preseason action of 2016. Bowles said he wanted to have Forté banged around a little bit and the veteran back had eight touches in the opening stanza. The home team actually got the ball to No. 22 on four of the game's first five plays. Wilkerson made an impact immediately, combining with LB Erin Henderson to stop RB Rashad Jennings for no gain on the defense's first play from scrimmage. Wilkerson later added a stop of Jennings behind the line in the second and added a QB hurry.
Hackenberg Comes Out Firing: With the Jets down 14-10 in the final quarter, they turned over the offensive controls to Christian Hackenberg and the Penn State product responded with a scoring drive. After a 16-yard connection to TE Zach Sudfeld on a 3rd-and-15, Hack got going with a 26-yard pass to Charone Peake and then two impressive tosses to Robby Anderson for 27 yards and 10 yards respectively. It was Hackenberg's first appearance with the Jets and the second-round pick appeared to have ice water in his veins. But his interception in the fourth led to the decisive score for the visitors.
Special Summer Continues: Brant Boyer's units have made this a habit throughout the preseason — playing fast and making something happen. Just past the midway point of the first quarter, both LB Bruce Carter and S Rontez Miles came streaking in on Giants P Brad Wing. Carter got to the ball just a fraction of a second before Miles, deflecting it and setting up the offense inside the red zone. Later in the second stanza, Jeremy Ross escaped a Dwayne Harris tackle attempt and got free for a 28-yard punt return. Rookie K Ross Martin nailed a 55-yard FG in the third and Chandler Worthy added a 52-yard PR in the fourth.
Youth Served at WR: With Brandon Marshall, Quincy Enunwa (head) and Kenbrell Thompkins (groin) not dressing, the Jets started Anderson on the outside. Rookie Jalin Marshall was Fitzpatrick's favorite target early as he hauled in three catches in the first half for 30 yards. But Fitzpatrick went to veteran WR Eric Decker for the only points before intermission, converting Revis' theft into points with a 22-yard TD.
Notables: Fitzpatrick finished the evening 9 of 16 for 76 yards with the 1 TD and a lost fumble. Geno Smith followed with two drives and Bryce Petty took over in the third quarter. DL Kerry Wynn's 73-yard return of a Petty pick gave the visitors a 14-10 advantage …The RT rotation continued as Brent Qvale started, but both he and Ben Ijalana worked in with the first unit… Rookie OLB Jordan Jenkins sat out with a calf injury and Mike Catapano got the start opposite Lorenzo Mauldin… Bowles challenged a pair of official rulings in the second half and he won them both…. Both LB Darron Lee and CB Juston Burris, the team's first round and fourth round-picks respectively, got reps with the first unit… The Jets rush defense was fantastic throughout the evening, holding the Giants to just 39 yards on 20 carries… LB Julian Stanford flashed in the second half, finishing with five defensive tackles, two on special teams and he also had a PD in the end zone.
