Some tried to downplay the Jets-Giants "rivalry" angle, but the two teams apparently didn't get the memo with a closely played game and several scuffles and penalties fitting of a division get-together.
But one thing necessary for a true NFL rivalry is some big games that mean something with a Green & White win at the end. And the Jets, after five consecutive losses to their stadium mates, finally responded with a remarkable comeback from a 20-10 deficit with less than five minutes left in regulation to a stunning 23-20 overtime triumph that keeps them rolling in the AFC Wild Card chase.
The Jets tied it on Ryan Fitzpatrick's 9-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall with 27 seconds left in regulation, went ahead on Randy Bullock's 31-yard field goal on the first drive of OT, then nailed down the "W" when the Giants' Josh Brown was wide left on a retying 48-yard try.
More important, the Green & White scraped through with some up-and-down play and missing players here and there to rise to 7-5 on the season and remain in the thick of the AFC playoff picture, while the Giants fell to 5-7 in the NFC East.
In Addition to Annual Preseason Matchups Dating Back to the Yale Bowl in 1969, the Jets & Giants Have Met 12 Times During the Regular Season, Most Recently on Dec. 24, 2011
In a matchup that felt more like a regular-season rivalry than a preseason game, the reigning Super Bowl III champions, the Jets, beat the Giants 37-14 at the Yale Bowl. Above, Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer watch as the first meeting between New York's pro football teams unfolds.
RB Bill Mathis (31) takes a handoff from QB Joe Namath (not pictured). Namath went on to throw three TD passes in the preseason victory.
RB Matt Snell (41) in action at the Yale Bowl.
A wall of New York Jets stops the attempted drive of New York Giants running back Tucker Frederickson on the one yard line for no gain. A brawl erupted shortly after the play. Giants went on to win 22-10.
New York Jets CB Steve Tannen (21) knocks down pass intended for New York Giants WR Clifton McNeil (18) during first quarter action between Giants and Jets at Shea Stadium.
Giants QB Fran Tarkenton (10) watches as teammate Tucker Frederickson (24) drops a pass at Shea Stadium. Future Ring of Honor member, Larry Grantham (60) helped to induce Frederickson into his dropped pass.
Joe Namath hands off to John Riggins (44) during second period action in the Yale-United Way NFL preseason game between the Jets and Giants at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, CT. Also photographed is Emerson Boozer of the Jets (32).
Joe Namath fades back to complete a pass for 11 yards and a first down in the opening minutes of the game.
Namath waves as he trots by defender Eldridge Small (18) and across the goal line for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Namath's TD tied the game at the end of regulation, sending it to OT, where Namath won it on a 5-yard pass to Emerson Boozer.
Broadway Joe releases a pass completed to Jets running back Bob Burns in overtime. The Jets came out on top, 26-20.
DT Ben Rudolph (76) goes in for the sack of Giants QB Phil Simms (11) in the 26-7 win over the Giants.
New York Jets coach Joe Walton, right, greets New York Giants coach Bill Parcells following their game in the Meadowlands.
Mark Gastineau looks on during a preseason game in the Meadowlands.
The Meadowlands, home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets in East Rutherford, NJ.
Jets Quarterback Ken O'Brien (7) celebrates after throwing a fourth quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Al Toon to defeat the Giants, 27-21.
QB Boomer Esiason (7) signals touchdown after RB Brad Baxter ran for a two yard touchdown. Baxter scored the only TD in the Jets' 10-6 victory over the Giants.
Giants quarterback Phil Simms (11) throws a pass while under pressure by Jets linebacker Bobby Houston (55).
Jets running back Curtis Martin (28) takes off on an 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of a preseason game. Giants tackle Christian Peter (99) and linebacker Scott Galyon (52) attempt to stop Martin.
Jets CB Aaron Beasley (21) makes a tackle in the 31-28 OT loss to the Giants.
Giants LB Brandon Short (53) attempts to tackle Jets TE Anthony Becht (88).
QB Chad Pennington (10) waits for the snap.
Sam Madison (29) of the New York Giants does his best, but cannot break up a completion to Laveranues Coles (87).
Brad Smith (16) catches the ball for a touchdown against the New York Giants.
Eli Manning (10) scrambles under pressure from Bryan Thomas (99) and Shaun Ellis (92).
In the Spring of 2010, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ was opened to serve as the new home of both the New York Jets and the New York Giants. The Jets and Giants first went up against one another in the regular season on Dec. 24, 2011. Dec. 6, 2015 will mark only the second time that the tenants of 1 MetLife Stadium have faced off in regular season play.
David Harris (52) sacks Eli Manning (10) in the first half of play.
Jeremy Kerley (11) is tackled by Antrel Rolle (26) of the New York Giants in the second quarter.
David Harris (52) is tackled by Hakeem Nicks (88) and Kareem McKenzie (67) of the New York Giants after intercepting a pass in the second half.
Giants QB Eli Manning (10) is forced to throw away a pass by DE Muhammad Wilkerson (96) and LB Demario Davis (56) during the first half of the preseason game.
Jets WR Brandon Marshall (15) stiff-arms Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (41) during the first half preseason play.
RB Chris Ivory (33) hurdles over defenders in the 28-18 preseason victory.
Giants WR Odell Beckham, left, and New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall, right, exchange jerseys on the field following the Jets' preseason win.
"It was a good win," said head coach Todd Bowles. "Usually in the games we've been winning, we've been ahead and the fourth quarter has been nice and easy. So for us to come from behind and show some grit during the season, that's the mark of a good team. We finally got to that point and I'm just happy it was today."
"I just think we showed a lot of maturity today," said Fitzpatrick, who completed 36 of 50 passes for 390 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. "It was a key buzz word of the week, but even at the end of the game Todd saying a few things to me on the sideline about the situation we were in and getting my head in the right spot, I thought that was really helpful for me today."
It was only the second overtime in the 13-game Jets-Giants, yes, rivalry, with the Jets winning again, similar to their 26-20 win over the Giants at the Yale Bowl in 1974.
Here are nine observations on the flow of this game between Gang Green & Big Blue for the first 60 minutes before the OT success:
1. Ivory's Drive
Chris Ivory had a very productive second drive as the Jets moved 78 yards to Randy Bullock's 24-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. Ivory had runs of 11, 6 and 20 yards and a 9-yard reception. But from there his profile was reduced and included a lost fumble (see No. 3). He did add a 6-yard reception and a 6-yard run to close the first half, lifting him over 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the season.
2. Not Special
The Jets' punt cover team, which yielded an 89-yard return score by the Eagles' Darren Sproles in Week 3, got bit again, this time on Dwayne Harris' 80-yard return for a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter. It was the first PR TD in Jets-Giants regular-season history and was secured when Harris leaped past diving punter Ryan Quigley and out of the grasp of Bilal Powell for the score.
3. First-and-Goal Wall
It's not only the Jet's red zone defense but their first-and-goal D that's been fairly impenetrable. After an Ivory fumble and a James Carpenter unnecessary roughness set the Giants up at the Jets 10, the Green & White defense limited the damage to a Brown field goal and a 10-3 lead. It was the 11th time in 19 first-and-goal situations this year that the Jets had held the opposition without a TD.
4. Powell ... Pow!
The Jets, despite spotty protection for Fitzpatrick, worked the ball toward the Giants' end before facing a third-and-15 from the 25. The call was a short toss to Powell, an inside cut, maneuvering through the secondary and skipping into the end zone for the first receiving TD of his career and Fitzpatrick's 21st scoring strike of the season. The Jets had tied it at 10-10 and Powell was on his way to career highs of eight catches and 91 yards. "He stepped up bigtime," Fitzpatrick said. "He had a great game for us not only on the touchdown catch but with the way he runs and hits the hole and some of those catches out of the backfield. He did a great job for us."
5. Beckhamized
Odell Beckham did it a few times in this game. In the first quarter he made an on-the-run one-handed reception for 22 yards. The Jets D rebounded with a Calvin Pryor blitz PD in the backfield, an Antonio Cromartie breakup downfield, and a punt on the blue side of the 50. But the Green & White didn't recover from a 72-yard Manning-to-Beckham hookup, the last 63 coming after the catch for a TD to put the Giants back on top, 17-10, with 2:13 to go in the half. He finished with six catches for 149 yards but also was banged around by the Jets defense.
6. Another Pryor Engagement
Pryor came back with another big hit — he's been making that a regular occurrence — with a rocking of Beckham, who had his hands on another TD pass in the end zone. Odell lost it for an incompletion and the Jets' red zone defense held it together again to force another Brown field goal. But the trend at the half, with the Giants opening a 20-10 edge, wasn't in a good direction for the visitors.
Photos from Sunday's Road Game at MetLife Stadium
7. Third-Quarter Lull
The Green & White offense seemed lively enough in spurts in gaining 217 first-half yards. But the third frame was a washout as Fitzpatrick and Co. could move the ball only 29 yards. And when they were about to get the ball back on a punt from near midfield late in the third quarter...
8. Rontez Giveth, Rontez Taketh Away
The special teams committed another goof when Rontez Miles jumped offside just before Brad Wing's punt on fourth-and-4 from the Jets 43. That enabled Big Blue to turn that drive into a monster 17-play, 67-yard, 11:21 march into the Jets red zone. "I was like, 'Man, that was me. I got you, I'll make up for it,' " Miles told his teammates. "I didn't expect to get an interception or anything like that."
That's just what he got. Playing after Pryor left the game with a stinger, Miles atoned bigtime with his first pro pick when the Giants went for it on fourth-and-2 from the 4. Yet the visitors still needed 10 points in the last 8:42 of regulation just to tie it ...
9. Keeping Hope Alive
And they got it. The Jets drove with a sense of urgency 80 yards on 11 plays to the Giants 6. But the No. 1 red zone offense couldn't punch it in and settled for Bullock's second 24-yard field goal with 4:28 to play to make it a one-score game at 20-13. Bullock improved to 5-for-5 on FGs since taking over the kicking duties from Nick Folk.
Then they got the ball back after Eric Decker's punt fair catch at their 29 with 2:40 to play and all three timeouts left. This drive went 71 yards on 10 plays, was spurred along by Fitzpatrick's fourth-and-6 keeper for 15 yards and crowned on the Fitz toss to Marshall for his 10th catch of the game (he finished with 12 for 131) and his 10th TD grab of the season.
"I wasn't thinking," Marshall said of the drive leading to his score. "We still got time on the clock, we've got to believe. It's been that way all year with this team. We never give up."
