Giants - Jets

[Halldan1]

Giants vs. Panthers: Preview, predictions, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday’s Giants-Panthers Week 2 matchup at MetLife Stadium.

nypost.com

Giants vs. Panthers: Preview, predictions, what to watch for​

By Paul Schwartz

An inside look at Sunday’s Giants-Panthers Week 2 matchup at MetLife Stadium.

Marquee matchup​

Panthers WR D.J. Moore vs. Giants CB Adoree’ Jackson

Yes, we know Robbie Anderson had a big day in the season-opener — a 75-yard touchdown reception doesn’t hurt — but Moore is the main threat here. He had a career-high 93 receptions in 2021, and in 2020 he averaged 18.1 yards per catch.

Will Jackson shadow Moore all game? This will be a battle of former first-round draft picks.

Jackson is coming off a fine opening game, showing physical play as a tackler that is not always a part of his approach.

Paul’s pick​

The Giants did a great job containing Derrick Henry in Week 1, but Christian McCaffrey is much more of a receiving threat and the Titans did score two touchdowns when a running back broke free in the secondary. How long can this defense get by without injured pass rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari? Maybe Saquon Barkley will be the difference, again.

Giants 24, Panthers 22

Four downs​

Bully pulpit: Teammates were pumped seeing LB Tae Crowder send Derrick Henry to the ground with a punishing hit last week. “Hit a bully, you know what I’m saying?’’ defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence told The Post. Next up: Christian McCaffrey. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale likened Henry to Jim Brown and McCaffrey to Barry Sanders.

“He’s slippery,’’ Lawrence said of McCaffrey. “He avoids the bully. For me, a running back is a running back. McCaffery is just a little more shifty in how he does it, he can get out and catch the ball also. It’s the same plan, getting 11 to the ball, stopping him before he gets going and controlling the line of scrimmage. That’s how you kind of contain a running back.’’

New QB on the scene: Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield did not come out on top last week in an emotional game against the Browns, the team that made him the No. 1-overall pick in the 2018 draft — and traded him away earlier this year. Mayfield struggled early in his Panthers debut. He knows Martindale’s defense from their years together in the AFC North, when Martindale was with the Ravens.

“I said before when he first came out, playing against him, he’s a gunslinger,’’ Martindale said. “Who did they always call gunslinger? Brett Favre. Right? And what did Brett Favre do? He left Atlanta, went to Green Bay, and he took off. Might be the same thing here for Baker.’’

And now for the encore: An even heavier workload for Saquon Barkley? He embarked on his contract year with a brilliant performance, rushing for 164 yards and a touchdown, catching a team-high six passes and scoring the winning points on a 2-point conversion shovel pass. The Panthers were shredded on the ground in the season-opening loss to the Browns, allowing 217 rushing yards — 141 by Nick Chubb. The Titans last week did not load up the box on defense to stop Barkley. The Panthers might.

“I think you plan for it,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “I don’t know exactly what they are going to do. I think you plan for those things and you’ve got to have answers within the scheme and within the game plan.’’

Cornering the market: Cornerback Aaron Robinson was one of the biggest question marks in the Giants’ starting lineup heading into this season. He held up fine against the Titans, but is out after having his appendix removed. That makes an already thin position darn-near emaciated. Rookie Cor’Dale Flott is one option. Justin Layne, who spent three years with the Steelers, is another. The most experienced option is Fabian Moreau, 28. He started 16 games for the Falcons in 2021 and could go from the practice squad to a starting spot.

“He knows this league and the receivers in this league and how to play,’’ defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “He’s a good add for us.’’

 

[Halldan1]

Jets vs. Browns: Preview, predictions, what to watch for

An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Browns Week 2 matchup in Cleveland.

nypost.com

Jets vs. Browns: Preview, predictions, what to watch for​

By Brian Costello

An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Browns Week 2 matchup in Cleveland.

Marquee matchup​

Jets LT George Fant and RT Max Mitchell vs. Browns edge rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney

The Ravens sacked Joe Flacco three times last week and hit him 11 times. It was not a good showing by the revamped Jets offensive line.

Now … they get to deal with one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL: Garrett and Clowney. Garrett had two sacks last week against Carolina and Clowney had a half-sack.

Garrett is a major headache for any team that plays against him. He has already had four seasons with double-digit sacks, and his Week 1 performance made it looks as if he is primed to add a fifth season.

Fant did not play well in Week 1 after moving back to left tackle. Mitchell, a rookie, was OK in his first game, but this will be a much bigger test.

“Myles Garrett is an absolute problem. He’s a man on a mission,” Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “You could see it least week, you could see it last year. Jadeveon Clowney is always going to be a problem, having to play him in Seattle in 2019, the year [the 49ers] went to the Super Bowl. He wrecked our game. … They’re a problem.”

Costello’s call​

Head coach Robert Saleh gave the Jets a rallying cry this week, and now we’ll see if they can prove their coach right that this team is different. A win over a talented Brown team would go a long way toward that. I think the Jets will play inspired defense and get just enough offensively to pull off the upset.

Jets 20, Browns 10

Four downs​

On the run: It is no mystery what the Browns want to do on offense. They rushed for 217 yards last week, with Nick Chubb (141 yards rushing) and Kareem Hunt (one rushing touchdown, one receiving touchdown) carving up the Panthers.

The Jets did a good job slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ rushing attack last week. This will be another big challenge. The Jets surely will stack the box and try to force backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett to make plays to beat them.

“As far as the run game, we’ve got to go in with our big boy pads on because we know they’re going to run the ball,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said.

This is a different style of running game than the Ravens had, but the keys will again be whether the Jets can keep the backs from popping off big runs and whether they can set the edge against this team.

Long time coming: The Browns won their first Week 1 game since 2004 last week, and now they are trying to start 2-0 for the first time since they were the old Browns in 1993. That team was coached by Bill Belichick and quarterbacked by Bernie Kosar. So, it has been a while.

The Cleveland fans will be fired up for the home opener and the debut of Brownie the Elf as the midfield logo, something that was voted on by fans.

Jets quarterback Joe Flacco knows the Browns well. He is 17-3 in his career against Cleveland and 8-2 at FirstEnergy Stadium, with 11 touchdown passes and six interceptions there.

Hello Mr. Wilson: Jets coaches admitted this week they need to do a better job getting rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson involved in the game. Wilson had just six snaps in the first half last week before having a bigger role later in the game, when the Jets were playing catch-up. Wilson finished with four catches for 52 yards in his debut. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur praised the effort from Wilson.

“The game is just not too big for him,” LaFleur said. “You never know going into the first game, I had a pretty good idea of how he was going to react.”

Keep your receipts: Head coach Robert Saleh made big news on Monday when he promised to remember what critics say about the Jets by “keeping the receipts.” Now, the Jets have to back up their coach’s talk. A loss to the Browns and you can be sure fans will show up at MetLife Stadium next week waving receipts of their own.

Saleh is adamant that this team is different, but he knows the Jets need to prove it.

“This is not the same old Jets, but until we win, until we prove it, which is on us as coaches and on us as players, the shots will keep on coming,” Saleh said, “so we welcome them, keep bringing them, it’s not going to change our mission and that’s to bring this organization and this fan base a win.”

 

[ed odowd]

Saleh will be taking names in Cleveland LOL

 

[Halldan1]

Giants outlast Panthers to move to 2-0 for first time since 2016

The Giants are 2-0 for the first time since 2016, giving Brian Daboll two wins to start his head coaching career.

nypost.com

Giants outlast Panthers to move to 2-0 for first time since 2016​

By Paul Schwartz

It is possible to win ugly, but for a franchise that has lost ugly for so long, any win at all is a thing of beauty and a sight to behold. Thus, the Giants outlasting the Panthers 19-16 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium looks like a work of art.

The Giants are 2-0 for the first time since 2016, giving Brian Daboll two wins to start his head-coaching career.

Graham Gano’s howitzer right leg was the difference, as he hit four field goals, including a 56-yarder with 3:34 remaining for the decisive points.

The Giants needed a defensive stop to secure the game and they got it when coordinator Wink Martindale dialed into his well-known aggression and called for a blitz on third down. Safety Julian Love stormed through and dropped Baker Mayfield for a 9-yard loss, forcing a Panthers punt. The Giants got the ball back at 2:06 and never gave it back, as Daniel Jones scrambled for 11 yards for a first down to seal the deal.

The Giants took all the positive reinforcement they created in their 21-20 upset victory in Week 1 over the Titans in Nashville into their home opener. This is a franchise that needs to turn around its fortunes in its building. In the past five seasons, the Giants were 12-28 at home. They are now 1-0 for Daboll at home.

Jones made his best throw early in the third quarter, under duress, on third-and-10, when he dropped the ball between Panthers defenders to find David Sills for a 24-yard pickup. That helped set up Gano’s 51-yard field goal with 12:31 left.

Jones finished 22-for-34 for only 176 yards and one touchdown pass. Saquon Barkley started slowly and ended faster with 68 yards on 20 rushing attempts.

Christian McCaffrey’s 49-yard burst set up Eddie Pineiro’s 38-yard field goal to make it 16-16 with 10:46 remaining. Oshane Ximines, playing with force as a starting outside linebacker with injuries keeping rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari on the bench, pressured Mayfield on third down to force the Panthers to settle for the field goal.

The Giants got the ball and stuck to the ground to move into a field goal range, but a holding penalty on center Jon Feliciano appeared to push them out of field goal range. Jones completed a 5-yard pass to Sterling Shepard, setting up a 56-yard field goal try for Gano. He drilled it and the Giants regained the lead with 3:34 left.

The Panthers finally located D.J. Moore against rookie cornerback Cor’Dale Flott — starting in place of injured Aaron Robinson — and when Flott slipped, Moore had an easy 16-yard touchdown reception to put the Panthers up 13-6. When Jones was forced into a throwaway and Barkley picked up only 1 yard, boos cascaded down on the offense. Jones then hit Richie James for 15 yards and Barkley followed with a 16-yard run around the right end. There were cheers when Jones tossed a short pass to Daniel Bellinger and the rookie tight end dove to the pylon to complete a 16-yard scoring play to give Bellinger his first NFL touchdown and pull the Giants even at 13.

The Giants dominated the first quarter and yet led by only 6-0, settling for Gano field goals after two stalled drives on offense, as turnovers by the Panthers twice handed the Giants the ball in Carolina territory.

A fumble on the opening kickoff, forced by Carter Coughlin and recovered by rookie Dane Belton, put the Giants on the Panthers’ 22-yard line before many fans settled into their seats. Jones completed two short passes but the Giants could not muster a first down for their first wasteful series.

Next, Darnay Holmes put a hit on Robbie Anderson to dislodge the ball, and the Giants went to work on offense on the Carolina 40. Jones ran for 2 yards and a first down on fourth-and-1 and Sills made a nifty move past safety Xavier Woods to set the Giants up on the 5-yard line. Still, no trip into the end zone. Jones lost 6 yards on a run and then was sacked for a loss of 7 yards.

From there, the remainder of the first half was offensive malfeasance. Barkley could not get untracked — he was dropped by Frankie Luvu for a 5-yard loss on a first-down play — and a 47-yard completion to Kadarius Toney was wiped out by an offensive pass interference penalty on David Sills. The Giants had no control of the line of scrimmage and finished the first half with 60 total yards. Jones completed 12 passes — for only 60 yards. Barkley had only 3 yards on five rushing attempts.

Clearly, Daboll is not using experience, pedigree or salary to determine his rotation at wide receiver. Last week, Kenny Golladay was on the field for 46 of the 60 snaps on offense and Toney got just seven snaps. Seven days later, Golladay did not start and was barely seen. He did not get on the field until the second series. Toney picked up his workload.

The Panthers were not exactly dynamos either. They managed two field goals to pull even at halftime at 6-6. On defense, the Giants twice turned aside the Panthers with third-down stops to limit the damage to two Pineiro field goals.

The Giants lost defensive tackle Leonard Williams to a knee injury midway through the third quarter.

 

[Halldan1]

Jets score two late touchdowns for stunning win over Browns

Robert Saleh is going to want to keep the receipt from this one.

nypost.com

Jets score two late touchdowns for stunning win over Browns​

By Brian Costello

CLEVELAND — Robert Saleh is going to want to keep the receipt from this one.

The Jets pulled off a stunning 31-30 win over the Browns when Joe Flacco hit Garrett Wilson for a 15-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the game and Greg Zuerlein hit the extra-point attempt to give the Jets the one-point win.

The Jets were down 30-17 with 1:55 left in the game — and no timeouts — seemingly on their way to an 0-2 start. Instead, they got out of Cleveland with a dramatic win and are 1-1 for the first time since 2018.

It was an incredible sequence in the final two minutes that gave the Jets the win.

Nick Chubb scored his third touchdown of the game with 1:55 remaining, but Browns kicker Cade York missed the extra point.

The Jets got the ball back and the Browns somehow left Corey Davis wide open and Flacco found him for a 66-yard touchdown to cut it to 30-24 with 1:22 left. Braden Mann then delivered a perfect onside kick that was recovered by Justin Hardee. The Jets drove down the field in the final minute and Flacco found Wilson on third down for the 15-yard touchdown, the rookie’s second score of the game.

Safety Ashtyn Davis ended any Browns’ hope with an interception of Jacoby Brissett.

The Jets tied the game 17-17 early in the fourth quarter, but it looked like they would lose after punting on the next two drives and the defense allowing the Browns to take the lead with nine minutes left.

The Jets came into the game worried about the Browns rushing attack, and Cleveland had a good day on the ground with 163 rushing yards. Nick Chubb had three rushing touchdowns.

Tied at 17-17, the Jets’ defense collapsed. Brissett and Co. picked them apart. Chubb had a 22-yard run and a 15-yard reception on the drive. Then Jets linebacker Quincy Williams committed pass interference on Kareem Hunt at the 7-yard line. One play later, Chubb ran it in for his second touchdown of the game and a 24-17 lead with 9:21 left in the game.

On their next drive, the Jets were near midfield when Wilson dropped a third-down pass that would have been a first down. Instead, the drive died and they had to give the ball back to the Browns.

When Chubb scored again with 1:55 left, the Jets looked done. But then all heck broke loose.

It looked like it was going to be a long day for the Jets early. After a three-and-out by the Jets’ offense, the Browns put together a 14-play, 90-yard drive that was finished off by a Chubb 4-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The Browns were able to do whatever they pleased on the drive, throwing and running the ball.

The Jets answered on their next drive, which was kept alive with a fake punt pass from Mann to Jeff Smith for a 17-yard gain. Breece Hall then had a 23-yard rush on the first play of the second quarter to set the Jets up inside the 10-yard line. Flacco threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, who made a beautiful move at the line of scrimmage to get open for his first career touchdown and tie the game at 7-7.

The Browns again drove down the field, going 61 yards on 10 plays this time. After a first touchdown was overturned, Brissett found Amari Cooper for a 6-yard touchdown and 14-7 lead. It appeared there was a coverage mix-up between cornerback Sauce Gardner and safety Lamarcus Joyner on the play.

The Jets again drove inside the Browns’ 20, but Cleveland defensive end Jadeveon Clowney beat rookie tackle Max Mitchell and knocked the ball out of Flacco’s hand and then recovered it at the Browns’ 21.

The Jets would get the ball back before halftime, though, and Flacco led them down the field with ease. He capped off the drive with a game-tying 10-yard pass to Hall, the rookie’s first career touchdown. The score made it 14-14 at halftime.

The Browns opened the third quarter with an 11-play drive but the Jets kept them out of the end zone. York kicked a 22-yard field goal to go up 17-14.

The Jets tied the game with 14:24 left to play on Zuerlein’s 57-yard field goal, which tied the franchise record for longest field goal.

 

[The Crows Nest]

Jets score two late touchdowns for stunning win over Browns

Robert Saleh is going to want to keep the receipt from this one.

nypost.com

Jets score two late touchdowns for stunning win over Browns​

By Brian Costello

CLEVELAND — Robert Saleh is going to want to keep the receipt from this one.

The Jets pulled off a stunning 31-30 win over the Browns when Joe Flacco hit Garrett Wilson for a 15-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the game and Greg Zuerlein hit the extra-point attempt to give the Jets the one-point win.

The Jets were down 30-17 with 1:55 left in the game — and no timeouts — seemingly on their way to an 0-2 start. Instead, they got out of Cleveland with a dramatic win and are 1-1 for the first time since 2018.

It was an incredible sequence in the final two minutes that gave the Jets the win.

Nick Chubb scored his third touchdown of the game with 1:55 remaining, but Browns kicker Cade York missed the extra point.

The Jets got the ball back and the Browns somehow left Corey Davis wide open and Flacco found him for a 66-yard touchdown to cut it to 30-24 with 1:22 left. Braden Mann then delivered a perfect onside kick that was recovered by Justin Hardee. The Jets drove down the field in the final minute and Flacco found Wilson on third down for the 15-yard touchdown, the rookie’s second score of the game.

Safety Ashtyn Davis ended any Browns’ hope with an interception of Jacoby Brissett.

The Jets tied the game 17-17 early in the fourth quarter, but it looked like they would lose after punting on the next two drives and the defense allowing the Browns to take the lead with nine minutes left.

The Jets came into the game worried about the Browns rushing attack, and Cleveland had a good day on the ground with 163 rushing yards. Nick Chubb had three rushing touchdowns.

Tied at 17-17, the Jets’ defense collapsed. Brissett and Co. picked them apart. Chubb had a 22-yard run and a 15-yard reception on the drive. Then Jets linebacker Quincy Williams committed pass interference on Kareem Hunt at the 7-yard line. One play later, Chubb ran it in for his second touchdown of the game and a 24-17 lead with 9:21 left in the game.

On their next drive, the Jets were near midfield when Wilson dropped a third-down pass that would have been a first down. Instead, the drive died and they had to give the ball back to the Browns.

When Chubb scored again with 1:55 left, the Jets looked done. But then all heck broke loose.

It looked like it was going to be a long day for the Jets early. After a three-and-out by the Jets’ offense, the Browns put together a 14-play, 90-yard drive that was finished off by a Chubb 4-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The Browns were able to do whatever they pleased on the drive, throwing and running the ball.

The Jets answered on their next drive, which was kept alive with a fake punt pass from Mann to Jeff Smith for a 17-yard gain. Breece Hall then had a 23-yard rush on the first play of the second quarter to set the Jets up inside the 10-yard line. Flacco threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, who made a beautiful move at the line of scrimmage to get open for his first career touchdown and tie the game at 7-7.

The Browns again drove down the field, going 61 yards on 10 plays this time. After a first touchdown was overturned, Brissett found Amari Cooper for a 6-yard touchdown and 14-7 lead. It appeared there was a coverage mix-up between cornerback Sauce Gardner and safety Lamarcus Joyner on the play.

The Jets again drove inside the Browns’ 20, but Cleveland defensive end Jadeveon Clowney beat rookie tackle Max Mitchell and knocked the ball out of Flacco’s hand and then recovered it at the Browns’ 21.

The Jets would get the ball back before halftime, though, and Flacco led them down the field with ease. He capped off the drive with a game-tying 10-yard pass to Hall, the rookie’s first career touchdown. The score made it 14-14 at halftime.

The Browns opened the third quarter with an 11-play drive but the Jets kept them out of the end zone. York kicked a 22-yard field goal to go up 17-14.

The Jets tied the game with 14:24 left to play on Zuerlein’s 57-yard field goal, which tied the franchise record for longest field goal.

New York teams are now 4-1, including Buffalo, heading into tomorrow nights game.
Who had that prediction? I venture…. No one.
As a Jet’s fan, just a great day to grasp victory from the jaws of defeat.
Now…can they win again at home next week?

If so, todays game could be the one we look back on as the turning point for this franchise.
If not…well we just plow ahead.

 

[TomD82]

The Jets win was from the type of collapse both the Jets and Giants have been doing a lot in recent seasons. Happy for Saleh. Giants offense didn't look very good today.
A win is a win great day for all the local teams.

 

[PirateFan94]

Giants I believe will get better as the year goes on and the o-line gels. Jones has done well when he’s had time. Made some great throws into some tight windows to James and made No mistakes. Also showed his legs to close out the game. Kafka will also got better as a play caller. It seems to take time for him to figure out what’s working. I’m cutting him some slack as this is his first time as an OC. Early in the game they were stacking the box which is when he should have taken deep shots to loosen them up. He seemed to figure things out in the second half of both games. I don’t think they have the talent to go deep in playoffs but they definitely have a shot to get there.