Photo courtesy of AJ Guel, Wikipedia
After six weeks of the NFL season, the Jets are the kings of New York. The Jets are 4-1 so far in the season, good for second place in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots, while the Giants are coming off of a heartbreaking loss in Philadelphia to bring their record down to 3-3; the Giants stand at second place since the 3-3 Eagles have the tiebreaker over the Giants.
With the Giants’ defense being average, it has been the offense that has carried them to first place. They have only allowed less than 20 points once so far, and they have blown two fourth quarter leads of 10 points, or else they would be 5-1.
“After two tough losses I really like the way the defensive line and team have come together to win three straight,” said sophomore Matt Ravetier.
Quarterback Eli Manning has been tremendous so far, outside of Monday night’s game against the Eagles, his great performance aided by an exceptional crew of wide receivers, including Odell Beckham, Jr., Reuben Randle and Victor Cruz – who has not even been active yet this season. If the defense can begin to play better, the Giants could be looking at a successful season.
“Hopefully our success in the beginning of the season can carry over to the second half and lead us into the playoffs winning the NFC East. I’m very happy with Eli Manning so far this year, as he already has 10 touchdowns, and he is proving that he is an elite quarterback,” said sophomore Mike DiGirolamo.
The Jets, on the other hand, feature the best defense in the league, as its players have allowed only 75 points in their first five games of the season. The team’s offense has been pretty solid as well – not one of the best in the league, but they have been getting the job done.
“Their defense is playing really well so far and the offense is doing enough to win games,” said sophomore Robert Meola about the Jets’ early season success.
Unfortunately, the Jets has the New England Patriots in their division, a team which is arguably the best in the league. The Jets are definitely playing well enough to get a wild card berth but winning the division will be a tough task.
“With one of the best defenses in the league, as long as the offense can limit the turnovers, I think that we can continue our success and hopefully make a run into the playoffs,” said senior Walker Larson.
The Jets will travel to New England to face the Patriots on Sunday for bragging rights in the divison, as the winner of that game will be in first place in the AFC East.
The Giants will welcome divison rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, to MetLife Stadium, on Sunday. The Cowboys beat the Giants back in Week 1 of the season when quarterback Tony Romo drove the Cowboys down the field in the closing seconds; however, Romo is out with a broken clavicle, and wide receiver Dez Bryant may sit out for a fifth straight game with a broken foot.
rrisnky@ramapo.edu
