After years of mediocrity and failure, the two New York NFL franchises — the Jets and Giants — finally have some buzz surrounding them.
The Jets are now led by future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and the Giants have been quietly building one of the league’s most interesting teams.
So when they faced each other last Saturday night in their annual preseason matchup at MetLife Stadium, two ascending powers were present.
The tensions were high. The Jets played the majority of their starters — including Rodgers for the first time — against a Giants’ lineup comprised of just three projected starters.
There were some tense moments early on when Giants linebacker Jihad ‘Haddy’ Ward decided to harass Rodgers beyond what the script called for. He pushed Rodgers, Rodgers pushed back and the sparks flew.
Rodgers, mic’d up for HBO’s Hard Knocks, played the incident up for the cameras as both players claimed not to know each other.
Oh boy. Aaron Rodgers to #Giants' Jihad Ward after he got hit late: "Show some respect. I don't even know who you are."
Rodgers then throws a TD pass and looks for Ward: "Don't poke the bear."
TRASH TALK AARON RODGERS.pic.twitter.com/csIoRPtSD7
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 30, 2023
Ward was uncharacteristically mum when asked about the incident after the game but there’s no doubt Rodgers knows who he is. After all, Ward recorded two QB hits when the Giants dropped A-A-Ron and the Green Bay Packers in London last season.
The trash-talking didn’t end there. When the Giants challenged Pro Bowl cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner down the sideline with rookie speedster Jalin Hyatt, the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year spoiled the party even though Hyatt had him beat.
.@iamSauceGardner was fired up in his first preseason action 🗣
New #HardKnocks tomorrow on @streamonmax pic.twitter.com/9jzGEyRsMI
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 28, 2023
The Jets won the game, 32-24, but it’s clear there is something brewing between these two teams, who meet again in Week 8 of the regular season.
