Some might not call it a rivalry, but when you only meet once every four years and you share the same city as well as the same stadium, there has to be something on the line. I’m referring to this Sunday’s showdown between the New York Jets and the New York Giants. This game for most is about bragging rights, being known as the team who runs the town, but much more is at stake then just a title. These teams met back in 2011 with their season’s on the line, and this sunday will be no different.
No one knew the fate that the Giants and Jets would be faced with after that pivotal matchup four years ago. Victor Cruz’s 99-yard touchdown pass before halftime sent the G-Men on their way to a six game winning streak including a Super Bowl victory, while it sent Gang Green into a tailspin that they are still trying to get themselves out of. Many things have changed since that moment and they all trace to the clash that will take place at MetLife Sunday afternoon.
The players and coaches are not calling it “a rivalry game”, and while that might be true in some aspects, there are some who feel a little differently. This game has a huge meaning for the fans of both teams, knowing that if their squad is victorious, they will be able to gloat and chirp the other side’s fans until the two teams meet again. The game also provides a great amount of headlines that can be talked about day and night. Will that loss from 2011 be in Jets players’ heads? What kind of game can we expect from these two teams? Will Fitzpatrick out duel Manning? All the talk leading up to the game is what makes it such a special week in the greater New York area.
Here’s something not to forget about this game for these two clubs, they are still both fighting for the playoffs. The Jets are battling to keep their AFC Wild Card dreams alive, and to move ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. As for the Giants, they still have a shot to win the NFC East, and this game is pivotal if they want to keep pace with the Washington Redskins.
The two teams have had their ups and downs this year, and coming into this game many of the integral parts are missing, including the guy who ran 99-yards for that signature touchdown back in 2011, Victor Cruz. Cruz has been out for the season, while for the Jets, star cornerback Darrell Revis will miss the game with a concussion. Not having Revis stings for many reasons, but a lot of people were waiting to see the matchup between him and Odell Beckham Jr. all season.
This Sunday will be the first experience for many of the Jets and Giants players to experience when these two teams play each other. Wide receivers Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr. as well as many others will all be playing in the “MetLife Bowl” for the first time. For some on both sides, however, this won’t be the first time that they have played each other in the regular season. Eli Manning, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, David Harris, Muhammad Wilkerson, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Prince Amukamura have been apart of multiple versions of the contest.
So much is on the line for the Jets and Giants this Sunday – playoff hopes, division titles, and the right to call yourself the “Best team in New York”. What will be said four years from now? Sunday will find out.
It’s the Jets. It’s the Giants. Its New York.