In the always interesting clash between the New York Giants & New York Jets we have two teams that aren’t quite sure where they’re going in this NFL season, and have even less of a clue of where it all ends for them in 2015, or maybe a bit deeper into the new year?
The Giants are 5-6, sharing the lead in the NFC East. A division that’s wide open and filled with incompetent teams, and one horrible one, because of an injured quarterback. The Jets are 6-5, which is good enough for second in the AFC East, with no real chance of catching up with the New England Patriots, as usual, but possibly with some hope of making the playoffs for the first time since 2010, when they lost a second consecutive conference championship game.
The Giants have lost two in a row. One of them to the New England Patriots, which is forgivable, and the other less excusable, to the Washington Redskins, losing the tiebreaker for the division lead to them. It put Tom Coughlin under the watch of the owners, who seem to be frustrated with the inconsistency shown this season by the Giants, including the effort and focus from the players, not something new under Coughlin. As it’s often said about Eli Manning: He might be the best quarterback in the world to put in a bad situation during a playoff game, but there are so many more better quarterbacks at getting you to the playoffs.
The Giants haven’t been to the postseason since 2011, and while Manning overall has looked better and better this season, he’s had enough games laiden with interceptions and awkward crunch time mistakes that one has to wonder whether keeping him with a long term deal is the right thing to do for the Giants? Other than Manning, the defense isn’t very good and prone to giving up big plays, the running game is terrible and Odell Beckham sometimes seems like the only player who is trying.
The Jets are trying, but they have a head coach who isn’t fond of taking risks (at least not right now), a quarterback who can only get them so far, a decent running game and a defense that looked All-Pro for a while but is no longer featuring Revis island, as the best cornerback in the league until not too long ago is showing signs of decline. Playoffs? Sure, it’s more than possible at 6-5 and the current rate, but the Jets could lose the next five games and it won’t be too surprising. The Giants can go 4-1 from here on out and torch their division, and it wouldn’t be surprising. Two teams that are mediocre in different ways, and it’s impossible to know what to expect from them.