Two of the three primetime games from the NFL’s week 4 slate were held at MetLife Stadium, unfortunately neither of the home teams were able to walk away with a victory.
Not all losses are equal, however, as the Jets 23-20 loss to the Chiefs was much more respectable and promising than the Giants performance in their 24-3 loss to the Seahawks. Now, both teams have fallen to a record of 1-3, a hole that will surely be hard to dig out of.
New York Jets Lose 23-20 to Kansas City Chiefs in Second-Most Viewed Game of the Season
The New York Jets went into their Sunday night game against the Chiefs looking to make a statement by taking down the reigning champs. There was no better time to do so as the draw of Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce’s new girlfriend, Taylor Swift, drew a huge audience to a game that was already primed to bring in tens of millions of viewers. In fact, the Jets-Chiefs matchup averaged 27 million viewers, making it the most-viewed television program airing on a Sunday since Super Bowl 57, according to a report from NBC Sports.
The Jets, who were underdogs entering the game, proved the doubters right in the first quarter, quickly falling behind 17-0. A Patrick Mahomes-led offense seemed nearly impossible to stop and Zach Wilson picked up right where he started last week with quick, short drives that amounted to nothing.
The game was already getting out of hand and was poised to be a humiliating loss for the Jets, until the team was finally gifted a break by the Chiefs. A facemask penalty in the endzone by Chiefs OL Jawaan Taylor forced a safety and gave the Jets their first points of the game. Building off the momentum of the safety, the Jets got into field goal range thanks to a brilliant drive from Zach Wilson and tacked on an additional three points.
Now having some signs of life in the game, a revitalized Jets defense forced a rare interception from the reigning MVP and were officially back in the game. Another solid drive from Zach Wilson led to a C.J. Uzomah touchdown and the Chiefs lead was now just 5 points. A Chiefs field goal put them up 20-12 entering halftime, but the Jets, who just one quarter ago were bound to get blown out, now found themselves in a close game.
The third quarter started off hot for the Jets who scored a touchdown and successfully attempted a 2-point conversion thanks to another phenomenal drive from Zach Wilson. The rest of the third quarter was occupied by punts and great defense on both sides, meaning that the game was tied heading into the final quarter.
The Chiefs opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, with kicker Harrison Butker successfully making a 26-yard field goal and putting the Chiefs up 23-20. The Jets still had plenty of time left in the game to come back and walk away with an upset victory, but a fumble from Zach Wilson made that task much harder.
With 7 minutes left in the game, there was still hope, but as the time on the clock went down, so did Jets fans hope. On a crucial 3rd and 23 play, Patrick Mahomes managed to get a 30 yard run and essentially seal the game, but as many fans would realize after the game, there was a clear holding penalty on the Chiefs offensive line that was somehow missed by every referee. The controversy did not end there, however, as a few plays later on 3rd and 20, Mahomes threw another interception, now completely shifting the odds, giving the Jets a great chance to at least tie the game. The only issue was that a holding penalty was called on Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, despite there being no clear signs of a hold on the play. Even more evidence for the skeptics emerged after the game where the flag seemed to be thrown after the interception was caught. This call all but won the game for the Chiefs and made a win for the Jets nearly impossible.
Regardless of the questionable calls, the Jets weren’t able to walk away with a victory and nothing will be able to change that, but there is a moral victory in the fact that they held their own against arguably the best team in the NFL.
New York Giants Lose in Embarrassing Fashion Following 24-3 Loss to Seattle Seahawks
The Giants entered this game in desperate need of a win with both the Eagles and Cowboys taking victories in their games on Sunday. The loss of arguably their best player in Saquon Barkley was not going to be of any help in pulling off a win.
The game started off poorly on both sides with each team taking turns punting and turning the ball over until there were finally points put on the board by the Seahawks thanks to a D.K. Metcalf touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
After a few more punts, the Giants were able to get their first points with a 55-yard field goal from kicker Graham Gano to make it a 7-3 game. The Seahawks, however, responded with another touchdown to make it a 14-3 deficit for the Giants heading into halftime.
Entering the third quarter, the Giants made a huge stop on 4th down at their own 15 yard line, which could have been a huge momentum shifter in the game. Unfortunately, the Giants offense responded with a -4 yard drive that forced them to punt the ball away, but a missed field goal from the Seahawks kept the game within reach.
The Giants got the ball back and marched down the field, all the way to the 5-yard line where a touchdown would put the Giants right back into the game. On the next play a touchdown was scored, just instead of a Daniel Jones passing touchdown, it was a 97-yard pick six by Seahawks rookie Devon Witherspoon to make it 21-3 and suck any existing hope that Giants fans had.
The fourth quarter consisted of more subpar play from the Giants, who eventually ended up losing 24-3 after another field goal. The Giants have not shown any bright spots this season outside of the 2 quarters that they came back against the Cardinals. If they want to begin to contend for a playoff spot, the team will need to make changes quickly.
What This Means Heading Into Week 5
Next week, the Jets will look to build off of Zach Wilson’s stellar performance when they take on the Denver Broncos in Colorado at 4:25pm. The Broncos, who have one of the worst defenses in the league, should be an effortless win for the Jets, but nothing is guaranteed. This game could have great implications for the rest of the season, as a win could be momentum in the coming weeks, while a loss would be disheartening and could drain any hope left in this team.
Next Sunday, the Giants will be heading to Miami to take on Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense at 1pm. The Dolphins offense has been historically good so far this season and the Giants defense has not shown that they can handle an offense of their caliber. This would be a huge win for the Giants if they are able to pull it off, but if they play anything like they did this week then a win isn’t even in contention.