Jets TakeOff! Week 16 Preview: New York Giants vs New York Jets

“New York New York.  It’s a helluva town”.  And it certainly will be one this Saturday afternoon.  The war of words has already started.  Coach Rex Ryan won’t be “the little brother to anyone”.  He believes the Jets are the best team.  Santonio Holmes says that the Jets “….know that plays can be made over their heads”, referring to the secondary of the Giants.  Victor Cruz says on Darrelle Revis “No one is afraid of him anymore”.  Whenever two teams in the same city do battle, it’s more than battle, it’s war.  But it’s more than just war for the city.

It’s war for their playoff lives.  The winner is in great position for the playoffs, the loser is most likely on the outside looking in.  This is a huge game for both teams.  Let’s look at the history of this series :

The Giants lead the overall series with a record of 7-4, winning the last four, and 6 of the last 8.  Both teams are coming off embarrassing performances last week, the Giants losing to the Redskins, and the Eagles pounding the Jets into the Philadelphia turf.  This will be a battle.  The Jets can win it….here’s how:

WIN THE BATTLE ON THE OUTSIDE

The Jets are getting a big break this weekend.  We all know how the Jets can’t stop a pass catching tight end.  Well, the Giants starting tight end Jake Ballard is out.  Big break for the New York Jets.

However, the Jets are going to have their hands full with the Giants’ outside threats.

Eli Manning is having a wonderful season, with 4,326 yards passing and 25 TDs.  Victor Cruz is leading the receiving corps with 73 catches for 1, 194 yards and 7 TDs.  Hakeem Nicks has added 1,096 yards of his own, and Mario Manningham is looking for his 3rd straight game with a TD.  Eli Manning has all of his weapons on the outside working for him.  Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis have battles ahead of them.  These are key battles for the Jets to win.

STOP JASON PIERRE PAUL

The achilles heal of the Giants, which is very un-Giant like, is their defense.  The Giants have always been known to play good defense, but not this year.  The Giants are giving up 26.5 points per game, and Perry Fewell is on the hot seat.  The Giants defense can be beaten.

However, the pass rush is what the Giants do best.

It is looking like Osi Umeniyora will not be on the field, which will help.  Even if he plays, he won’t be at full strength.  The one guy, the guy that posts an edge rushing skill set that can give the Jets fits, is Jason Pierre-Paul.

Pierre-Paul has recorded 13.5 sacks so far this season, leading the Giants in that category.  He is looking for his 5th straight game with a sack, and has recorded 18 sacks in his last 20 games.  Look for him to spend most of the game lining up against Wayne Hunter.  We remember how Wayne Hunter basically watched Jason Babin go past him on every play last Sunday.  Wayne Hunter is going to have to step up his game, and the Jets will have to give him help if necessary.  The Jets will have to win the battle up front on offense in order to win on Saturday.

ATTACK THE D

Here we reiterate the point, this Giants defense can be attacked.  Win the battle up front, and it can be done.  They have given up 26.5 points per game.  They are giving up 127.6 yards per game on the ground, and 257.5 yards through the air.  Mark Sanchez and the offense need to attack, protect the QB and attack some more.

There you have it, your week 16 preview.  It’s do or die.  Enjoy the game, see you on the other side.