The New York Jets beat the New York Giants in convincing fashion to earn bragging rights in the "Battle of New York." It was a complete team effort as the Jets got touchdowns from their offense, defense and special teams. Here are some takeaways and observations from Saturday nights action.
1. Eli Manning being Eli Manning.
Eli Manning almost had his best game of the preseason yet. Manning started the game 10-11, including five of those completions going to star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. But as Manning has proven in the past, he is wildly inconsistent. After his hot start, Manning fell flat finishing the half 1-5 with an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Overall Manning didn't have a terrible game. He finished 12-16 for 91 yards and the one interception. Manning has not thrown a touchdown in the preseason thus far.
2. Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick looks ready to replace the injured Geno Smith.
After Geno Smith suffered a broken jaw, Ryan Fitzpatrick was forced into action to lead the Jets. So far he has looked good and he continued to impress against the Giants. Fitzpatrick, along with most of the starters, played the first half and finished 9-14 for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fitzpatrick started off the game by throwing a 18 yard touchdown to second year Jet, Eric Decker and followed that up by throwing a 24 yard touchdown to newly signed Jet, Zac Stacy. Fitzpatrick looks like he is ready to lead the Jets into the regular season in the absence of Geno Smith.
3. Odell Beckham Jr. looked good going against elite corner Darrelle Revis.
After having no catches in the first two preseason games Beckham finally looked like himself again after a trip to Revis Island. Beckham finished with 5 catches for 31 yards. Revis on the other end finished 3 tackles.
4. Jets cornerback tandem brings back memories of the past.
When the Jets brought back corners Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie it gave the fans more excitement for an already elite defense. Both corners had previously played for New York but left in free agency last year. The two combined for 5 tackles and ended the first half with a 59 yard pick six. Revis and Cromartie should be one of the NFL's best corner back duos this season.
5. Giants didn't suffer any major injuries.
The Giants didn't suffer any major injuries Saturday night. After losing 4 players last week, this week the Giants were able to escape with most of the team still healthy. WR Victor Cruz is still dealing with a calf problem and Jon Beason continues to recover from an injury he suffered last week.
Other game notes:
Jets return game impresses: Late in the third quarter, Jets return man Walter Powell returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 28-10.
Giants receiver James Jones has up and down game: James Jones had 4 catches for 54 yards but also had a fumble lost late in the third quarter.
This is just the tune-up: The Jets and Giants will also square off later in the regular season to again battle it out for New York.
What's Next For Both Teams?
The Jets will conclude the preseason with a September 3rd clash as they host the Philadelphia Eagles. The game will be at 7:00 PM EST. As for the Giants, they will travel to Foxborough to face the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots with a kickoff time of 7:30 PM EST. After these games, it's onto the regular season!