The New York Jets improbably pulled out a 13-10 overtime win over the New York Giants on Sunday in an ugly game in less-than-ideal weather. The Jets have improved to 4-3 on the season as the defense continues to lead the way.
It looked as if the Giants would secure a 13-7 win before Graham Gano missed a 35-yard field goal that allowed Zach Wilson to drive the Jets into field-goal range to force overtime. After a three-and-out by the Giants to begin overtime, Greg Zuerlein would convert a game-winning field goal.
While it was far from an appealing victory, here are five takeaways from the Jets’ overtime win over the Giants in Week 8.
Zach Wilson was making costly mistakes again
Wilson has shown improvements in his game this season, which has mainly been him just avoiding making the costly mistakes that have plagued his young career. However, Wilson had two fumbles in Sunday’s game, which resulted in three points for the Giants.
Besides completing only 17 of his 36 attempts and fumbling twice, Wilson also took a couple of bad sacks in the win. Even though the Jets came out on top against their neighbors in New York, they’ll need much better play from Wilson down the stretch if they want to remain in the AFC playoff picture.
Breece Hall and the rushing attack had zero success
The Giants boast one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, so it was expected for Breece Hall and the Jets to have no resistance when they ran the ball. Contrary to that belief, Hall totaled 17 rushing yards on 12 attempts as the Jets accumulated only 58 rushing yards on 22 attempts.
At the least, Hall would turn his six receptions into 76 yards, including a 50-yard score. Hall remains the focal point of the offense and he’ll look to get more going on the ground in Week 9 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Jets were unable to sustain many drives on third down
It was a punt fest between the Giants and the Jets as both teams punted the ball 24 times for 1,078 yards in Sunday’s overtime contest. In the entirety of the game, the Jets converted only two of their 15 third downs.
Luckily for the Jets, the Giants went two-for-19 on third downs in a game where both teams combined for 445 yards of offense. Third downs have been a major issue for the Jets all season, so that’s certainly an area they’ll need to fix moving forward.
Jermaine Johnson flashed more as a pass rusher
Jermaine Johnson didn’t get to play much as a rookie in 2022, but he continues to show progress in his development this season. The second-year edge rusher notched six tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks against the Giants in Week 8.
The first-round pick from a year ago now has six tackles for loss and four sacks on the season, which is already more than he did in 2022. Johnson has cemented himself as a formidable run defender off of the edge and he is gradually improving as a pass rusher each week.
The Jets had to do nothing but defend the run
Daniel Jones was ruled out for the Giants, leading to veteran Tyrod Taylor making another start at quarterback. Taylor would suffer a rib injury in Sunday’s game, so the Giants would end up playing their No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart, Tommy DeVito.
With rain falling down in New York and DeVito under center, the Giants threw the ball only 14 times, completing six of those passes for seven yards (technically the Giants posted negative-nine passing yards if you count the four sacks the Jets recorded). The Giants would run the ball 52 times for 203 yards and a score as Saquon Barkley accounted for 128 yards on 36 attempts. The secondary of the Jets got a day off in Week 8 as the Giants didn’t trust their shorthanded passing game to make enough plays to win.
