This week was not kind to Jets and Giants fans, who both saw their teams come up short in losses to the Chargers and Raiders, respectively. Giants fans got the worst of it, with their starting QB Daniel Jones going down with an injury that turned out to be an ACL tear that will sideline him for the remainder of the year.
Following the loss, the Giants are now expected to fully shift towards working to get a high draft pick, in the hopes of drafting a star quarterback, such as Caleb Williams and Michael Penix Jr., who will both be in the 2024 draft. The Jets, on the other hand, are still in the playoff race, though this loss did not help their spot in the standings. Luckily, all three other AFC East teams also lost this week, but the Jets remain in third place.
Giants Unable to Keep Up With Raiders in 30-6 Loss
The Giants started the game with Daniel Jones as their quarterback for the first time since Week 5. They weren’t the only team playing with a new quarterback, however, as the Raiders officially named rookie Aidan O’Connell their starter after firing their coach the week prior.
Daniel Jones’ first drive back as a New York Giant did not go as anticipated, as they only accumulated 9 yards and were unable to pick up a first down. The Raiders, on the other hand, put the Giants defense to work immediately, opening the scoring up with a 17-yard rushing touchdown from Jakobi Meyers.
The Giants leaned heavily on Saquon Barkley on their next drive, letting him run all over the field. It got them all the way to the 34-yard line until they failed to convert on 4th & 1, giving the Raiders the ball back. The Giants defense held the Raiders to just 6 yards this time, but the Giants were unable to capitalize, punting the ball away as well on their next drive. More important than the punt, was the injury that occurred to Daniel Jones as he got sacked for the second straight time. Jones left the game and it was later discovered that he tore his ACL, marking him out for the rest of the season.
With Jones now injured, the Giants had to rely on Jersey native Tommy DeVito once again to lead them to victory. DeVito started his first few drives in a similar fashion to last week, not throwing much but managing to avoid any turnovers. The Giants were still unable to score, though, and a 65-yard touchdown drive from the Raiders did not help.
On the first play following the touchdown, DeVito did the one thing he shouldn’t do and threw an interception to Marcus Peters, the first of his career. The Giants defense did the best they could given the excellent field position that the Raiders started with, limiting them to just a field goal before the end of the half. The Giants went into halftime down 24-0, needing to make a big change to have a chance to win.
Unfortunately, a win would become even harder as the Raiders opened up the second half with another field goal to put them up 27-0. A few drives later, the Giants offense finally managed to gain some momentum with Tommy DeVito throwing his first touchdown pass, a 9-yard reception by Wan’Dale Robinson. The Giants decided to go for two, but it ended up failing, leaving them with only 6 points.
Another quick punt from the Raiders gave Giants fans some hope, but a turnover on downs from the Giants, who decided to go for it on 4th & 4 stopped those hopes and already put the Raiders in field goal range. Despite only gaining 5 yards, the Raiders walked away with a field goal, putting them up 30-6. The rest of the game featured little to no offensive action outside of a few impressive throws from Tommy DeVito.
The Giants walked away 2-7, having won just 1 game since October. Now without their quarterback, it seems that the Giants will look to the NFL Draft to find a possible replacement or backup for Jones. With their current record, they would have a plethora of options from the spot that they will most likely be drafting from.
Jets Fall to Chargers 27-6 on Monday Night Football
The Jets walked into MetLife on Monday with a 3-game win streak that dated all the way back to Oct. 8, looking to extend it to 4. Ironically, the last loss that the Jets took was also during a primetime game, when they took on the Chiefs. The Chargers entered the game with a 3-4 record, but were still the favorites prior to kickoff.
The Jets defense shined once again at the start of the game shutting down Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler, two of the most electric offensive players in the game. Unfortunately, the Jets offense also did what it has continuously done, which is struggle to put points on the board. The Jets punted the ball away and Derius Davis of the Chargers returned it 87 yards, giving the Chargers an early lead.
The Jets offense began picking up steam, with a few short passes and runs followed by a 16-yard reception by Dalvin Cook. Just as the Jets looked poised to have a drive deep into Chargers territory, a Garrett Wilson fumble ended the drive. The Jets defense, however, came up big once again, forcing the Chargers to punt.
The Jets were once again brewing a solid offensive drive, but another fumble, this time from Zach Wilson gave the Chargers the ball around midfield. This time, the Jets defense was unable to hold the Chargers off, as Austin Ekeler ran the ball in for a touchdown, making it a 14-0 before the end of the 1st quarter. The next 4 drives ended in punts, until the Jets finally managed to put points on the board with a 47-yard field goal. After 4 more punts, the Chargers responded with a field goal of their own, making it a 17-3 game entering halftime.
The Jets started the second half by doubling their score, putting up another field goal to make it 17-6. A few drives later, the Chargers responded once again with a field goal, putting the deficit back at 14. After two more punts, the Jets seemed to have finally found their groove, collecting 21 yards on the first 2 plays of the drive. Unfortunately, a third fumble, the second for Zach Wilson, gave the Chargers the ball at the 2-yard line, where Austin Ekeler would walk into the endzone, making it a 27-6 game.
The Jets walked out of the game with their second straight primetime loss, in addition to having lots of their momentum drained.
What This Means Heading Into Week 10
The Jets will be playing primetime football once again, this time on Sunday Night Football against the Giants’ opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have struggled for a majority of the season, but their win over the Giants this week may show a shift in momentum. Regardless, the Raiders will be walking into the game with a rookie quarterback against one of the best defenses in the league. If the offense can turn the page on this week’s performance, the Jets can return to an above .500 record once again.
With no Daniel Jones anymore, the Giants are heavy underdogs going into their game against the Dallas Cowboys, who have already beat them 40-0 this season. The Cowboys defense is a challenge to face as an established quarterback, so Tommy DeVito will have his work cut out for him as he makes his first NFL start.