New York Jets: Takeaways from the win vs the Giants
By Manny Campos
The New York Jets defeated the Giants in stunning fashion on Sunday with a final score of 23-20. The Jets overcame a disastrous second quarter that saw the Giants score all 20 of their points and rallied in the fourth, scoring 10 unanswered points to tie the game, to force overtime. In overtime, the Jets got a field goal from Reggie Bullock to win the game after the Giants missed their own field goal attempt. Here are a few takeaways from this thrilling Jets win.
Air Fitzpatrick
The biggest knock on Ryan Fitzpatrick has been that he cannot win a game when he has to throw over 30 passes. Well, he debunked that myth by putting the Jets on his back and winning the game with his arm to the tune of a whopping 50 pass attempts. All told, Fitzpatrick completed 36 of those 50 attempts and easily had a season high 390 passing yards to go along with 2 touchdowns.
It was a masterpiece by Fitzpatrick who has been the Jets MVP all season long. Through 12 games, Fitzpatrick now has 22 touchdown passes which is the most by any Jets starting quarterback since Mark Sanchez in 2011 who had 26 that season. It’s probably safe to say that Fitzpatrick will eclipse that number by season's end. The biggest takeaway from his performance is that he was able to win a game while getting very little from the running game. The Jets as a team rushed for only 90 yards which usually spells doom for Gang Green but they were able to overcome the pedestrian running game to pull out a win. It was an encouraging sign for the Jets and Fitzpatrick.
Secondary Holds Up
Don’t get me wrong, the Jets were torched by Odell Beckham Jr for 149 yards and a touchdown, but Eli Manning had little going for him when not throwing to OBJ. In fact, half of Manning’s 297 passing yards went to Beckham which means that the secondary was able to keep the game from getting out of hand. Most importantly is that Manning had only the one touchdown pass to Beckham. For a unit playing without its best player in Darrelle Revis it was a good sign.
Furthermore, the peripheral stats look good for the secondary as well. The Jets were able to intercept one of Manning’s passes and only allowed him to complete 18 of his 34 attempts. Additionally, they pretty much shut things down after the half. This unit has had its ups and downs, but Sunday was definitely a step in the right direction. If the Jets intend to make a run for the playoffs, then it is necessary for this unit to play well. While Sunday wasn’t perfect, it was definitely a step in the right direction.
Playoffs?
This win may have very well saved the season for the New York Jets. Instead of being pushed into the pack of 6-6 or worse teams, the Jets are now in a three way tie for the final two playoff spots in the AFC. The other two teams, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, look like they will be in the hunt for the rest of the season so it is imperative for the Jets to rack up wins whenever possible even if it means winning ugly or miraculously. Sunday’s win against the Giants definitely qualifies as the latter.
Looking ahead, the Jets next two games are against the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys. If the Jets want to make the playoffs then those two games are must-wins. If they can win both of those and at least split the final two games, against division foes New England and Buffalo, then it puts them at 10 wins on the season. Hopefully, it will be enough to get the Jets to where they want to be.
The Jets are much better than many people thought, but now this season would be a disappointment if the team doesn’t make it to the playoffs. If they can continue to pull out wins like this one, then they will be in good shape.
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