New York Jets: A guide to the New York Giants from the enemy’s perspective

The New York Jets will be looking for their second win of the season when they take on the New York Giants in Week 10. Here is a quick preview of their opponents from the enemy’s perspective.

The New York Jets are set to take on their crosstown rivals this week when they square off with the New York Giants in Week 10.

The Jets enter the game with a measly 1-7 record fresh off an ugly showing against the previously winless Miami Dolphins last week. Spirits are at an all-time low for Gang Green and it likely won’t get much better as the season progresses.

Meanwhile, things aren’t looking much better for the Giants. Big Blue enters the game with just a 2-7 record and the team is coming off a primetime loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

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Coincidentally, the Cowboys are the only team to be defeated by the Jets this season in a game that occurred back in Week 7. However, that’s only a distant memory at this point.

Could the Jets find a way to get back in the win column and secure a victory over the Giants? We sat down with our friend Charles Vitolo over at GMEN HQ to go over a few things before this big-time matchup.

Next: 1. Thoughts on Daniel Jones?

1. Daniel Jones is the new big man on campus, how has he done this season with his opportunities? Strengths? Weaknesses?

CV: “When he was initially taken, I – like most Giant fans – was hesitant to believe he was worth being taken in the top ten. However, since he’s stepped on the field as a Giant he has impressed me in all areas. His biggest strengths are his athleticism and his calmness in the face of pressure – and there is plenty pressure to go around right now with the state of the Big Blue offensive line. He’s got a plus arm and looks every bit to me like an NFL quarterback whenever he’s on the field.

His main weakness has obviously been his ball control. To me though, when dealing with a young quarterback with a shaky offensive line, I’d much rather have a guy that at least tries to hang onto the ball and make something happen, rather than one that is gun shy and is only looking to check the ball down. Many of his fumbles have been hits from the blind side (thanks to Nate Solder), and I believe fumbling is something that can be worked on and improved quickly.”

Next: 2. How real is the Saquon Barkley hype?

2. Has Saquon Barkley lived up to the hype of the No. 2 pick? Is there any regret from the fan base?

CV: “It’s almost sacrilegious to talk about Saquon Barkley in any negative way for a Giant fan, but if you’re truly asking me for a yes or no answer on him being worth the number two pick….my answer is no. Now, to be fair, I am someone that doesn’t believe any runningback could be worth selecting in the top three, unless it was some weird type of situation where a contending team lucked out and possessed that pick due to a prior trade, and was a star runningback away from making a leap to the upper echelon of the league.

I don’t sense there being much regret from the fan base as a whole, as Saquon is one of the most beloved players on the team – and he should be. It’s not his fault that the position has fallen out of favor amongst the league as a whole, and my position on taking a ‘back that high has more to do with the slotted salary being on par with the highest-paid players at the position in the NFL, which takes away the rookie contract advantage you’d otherwise get with a quarterback or lineman.”

Next: 3. How bad is the Giants defense?

3. How bad is the Giants’ defense? Where are the weaknesses and how have teams taken advantage?

CV: “It’s certainly bad, but it’s improving. In the opening game in Dallas, there wasn’t even a hint of a pass-rush – that’s far from the case now. Sam Darnold is not going to just sit back there with all the time in the world tomorrow, but he should be able to pick apart the soft coverages that defensive coordinator James Bettcher loves to deploy. During halftime of the Tampa Bay game in week three, I pontificated that this really might be the worst NFL defense I’d ever seen (and at the time, it truly was) – it’s improved drastically since that point.

Even still, it’s a bottom-third defense, easily. It’s biggest weakness is having anyone outside of Janoris Jenkins that can cover, with safety Antoine Bethea (don’t be fooled by last week’s interception) and linebacker Alec Ogletree being the two worst players in that regard. Dave Gettleman has not put a premium on linebackers (much like Jerry Reese) or a free safety, and it’s impacted this defenses ability to compete dramatically.”

Next: 4. Thoughts on the Jets/Giants rivalry

4. Does this ‘rivalry’ between the New York teams have any extra meaning? If not, how can these teams make it into something?

CV: “To me it always has, and still does, despite the fact that this will likely go down as the worst matchup of the two teams of all-time. We only get to see this every four years, so it really is a special game. You could argue that this game in particular means more to each coach, as I wrote earlier this week, I truly expect that the loser of this game could potentially be fired.

To be truthful, the loser of this game might be better off for the future due to draft position. Still, for Pat Shurmur and his staff, this is basically a win at all costs type of contest. I believe both of these teams are around 10-30 since the start of 2017, so obviously it’s hard to act like this game is impactful in the grand scheme of things. This may not be a game that means much to win, but it certainly will mean a lot to the team that loses.”

Next: 5. Final Prediction

5. Prediction time, how do you see this one playing out?

CV: “The spread I’ve seen on this game has been right around -2.5 for the Giants, and I think that’s fair. I see this being an ugly – but close – game, but I do think there actually will be a lot of points. I believe Sam Darnold will have his best statistical game of the season, as so many other quarterbacks have done the same against this Giant defense.

I don’t think it’ll be enough to rally his weaker team to victory, though. The Giants are far from a wrecking crew, and even though the Jets don’t offer much in the pass-rush department, I’m sure they’ll still put heat on Daniel Jones. But I believe Jones is a better player – and has a much better supporting cast – than Darnold. This could be Saquon’s coming out party in 2019, and I think the Giants find a way to squeak this one out, 27-21.”