The New York Giants hosted their MetLife co-tenants, the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon in a crucial Week 8 contest for both teams.
The Giants were again without starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who is still dealing with a neck injury. Backup Tyrod Taylor started in Jones’ absence for the third consecutive week but was forced to leave the game early due to injury.
The Giants also were without left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) for the seventh straight week but saw the return of center John Michael Schmitz.
The weather was less than perfect for football with temperatures in the 50s, overcast skies and a steady rain.
For a game that was so poorly played by both sides, it turned out to be one of the most entertaining contests of the season thus far. But Giants fans probably aren’t feeling that way right now given how things ended.
Let’s recap:
Final score: Jets 13, Giants 10
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | Final | |
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Jets | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
Keys to the game
- Kicker Graham Gano missed two field goals, first from 47 yards and then from 35 yards out in the final minute. He is dealing with a knee injury that will require surgery at some point and perhaps the Giants should have tried to gain the first down on the second miss rather than have Gano kick.
- The rib injury to Tyrod Taylor killed any chance the Giants had of opening up their offense in the second half. They were clearly wary of attempting any type of passing attack behind Tommy DeVito.
- All game long, the talk was of the Jets’ ineptitude on third down. At one point, they were 0-11 and finished 2-15. What the real story was that the Giants were equally as bad, going 2-19 on third down.
- The Giants were able to stay in the game with their rushing attacks, which ended up gaining 203 yards on the afternoon — their highest total of the season.
It was over when...
Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked a 33-yard field goal with 6:12 in overtime to give the Jets a 13-10 victory.
The Giants had an opportunity to close the Jets out in the final minute of regulation but allowed the Jets to drive 58 yards in the final 24 seconds to tie the game at 10 with a 35-yard field goal.
Players of the game
- Saquon Barkley rushed 36 times for 128 yards, answering the call when the Giants needed him the most.
- Kayvon Thibodeaux had three sacks for a total loss of 41 yards. He had nine combined tackles on the day and also forced a fumble. He has 8.5 sacks on the season with nine games remaining.
- Bobby Okereke had another strong game with nine total tackles, three for a loss.
Injuries
Tight end Darren Waller, who was questionable coming into the game, was taken out in the second quarter after aggravating his sore hamstring. He had one catch for four yards on two targets. His exit left the Giants with one active tight end (Daniel Bellinger).
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor was knocked out of the game midway through the second quarter after getting landed on trying to scramble out of bounds. He left the field in pain and ended up being evaluated at a local hospital with a rib injury. Tommy DeVito, the Giants’ third quarterback, relieved Taylor.
What's next?
Head coach Brian Daboll will hold a Zoom call with the team’s beat writers on Monday afternoon before a few players are also made available.
Big Blue will return to practice on Wednesday ahead of a Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, November 5 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kickoff is 4:25 p.m. ET.
