NFL | New York, New York | The Press

What has been the highlight of New York football fans over the past decade? Hint, it didn’t involve the Jets or the Giants.

Miguel Bujold
The Press

Two pieces of robot for those who answered 48^e Super Bowl, presented on February 2, 2014 at MetLife Stadium, and which pitted the Seahawks against the Broncos. No, the good folks of the Big Apple and New Jersey haven’t had much to eat for a decade.

Strangely, the history of the Giants and that of the Jets have been very similar for the past ten years. Let’s start with the Giants.

Since defeating Tom Brady and the Patriots for the second time in four years in the Super Bowl after the 2011 season, the G-Men have only had one good year, in 2016. It was the first of head coach Ben McAdoo, successor to Tom Coughlin. The Giants reached the playoffs with an 11-5 record.

But excluding this season, the Giants have won less than a third of their games between 2013 and 2021 (41-88). Eli Manning’s final seasons, as much as Daniel Jones’ firsts, have been starving for an organization with four Lombardi trophies in its showcase.

It’s even worse for the Jets, you guessed it. Their last conquest dates back more than 50 years (1969) and they have only had one winning season in the last decade. Todd Bowles managed to win 10 games in his first season as head coach in 2015. Excluding that campaign, the Jets are 53-108 since 2011 and have lost more than two-thirds of their games , them too.

In short, the two New York clubs had become laughing stock. However, that seems about to change.

Thanks to their astonishing victory over the Packers in London last Sunday, the Giants validated their strong start to the season and are now 4-1. A few hours later, the Jets offered a victory by 23 points against the Dolphins and thus improved their record to 3-2.

A fragile success? Yes of course. We are still far from a participation in the playoffs or even a winning season. Nevertheless, these bright spots were eagerly awaited in the irascible New York market. Credit must first go to head coaches Brian Daboll and Robert Saleh, who have brought order to messy organizations.

Daboll has worked in the NFL since 2000 and won five Super Bowls in assistant roles with the Patriots. He was the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021.

Daboll’s impact on quarterback Daniel Jones, both more consistent and confident, is evident. Despite having to get by without nearly all of his usual receivers, Jones is passing a career-high 66.7 percent of his passes.

The centerpiece of the Giants’ offense, however, is Saquon Barkley, who has 676 yards after five games! The second pick in the 2018 draft, Barkley is unrecognizable from recent seasons.

On defense, the Giants have turned to another experienced coach, Don Wink Martindale, who has been playing in the NFL since 2004. The defensive coordinator is preparing to face the team that fired him at the start of the year, the Baltimore Ravens. His unit did very well in the second half of their match against Aaron Rodgers last week, can they do the same against Lamar Jackson?

A promising nucleus

On the side of the Jets, Saleh took control of a team that had been turning in circles since its two championship games of the American in 2009 and 2010. The former defensive coordinator of the 49ers already has a promising core under the hand.

The 2022 draft could become the best in Jets history. Sauce Gardner will become one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks; runner Breece Hall is currently the favorite for Outstanding Offensive Rookie; wide end Garrett Wilson caught 23 passes in his first 5 games; and quarterback fighter Jermaine Johnson made a few big plays in a reserve role.

But the most important young player is Zach Wilson. Second prospect selected at the 2021 auction, Wilson demonstrates the qualities of quarterback that convinced the Jets to draft him since his return to the game two weeks ago. It’s only two games, but there is hope.

The Giants and the Jets still have a long way to go in order to rise to the ranks of the best clubs in their respective associations. A lot. One thing, on the other hand, seems quite clear: they are led by bright and competent coaches.

That said, the most important thing for both teams will be to ensure that their recent modest success is not fleeting, like that of McAdoo and Bowles… There will definitely be losses and a tough streak or two. for each of the two teams in the coming months. The key will be that it doesn’t drag on, which is the danger when a culture of losers is entrenched in a team.

Three games to watch

Buffalo v. Kansas City, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.

The game of the season. The Bills and Chiefs seem destined to meet in the AFC Finals, don’t they? If they were to finish tied, it is of course this Sunday’s game that would serve to break the tie. Last year, the two powerhouses crossed paths in the second round of the playoffs, an epic game in which 25 points were scored in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had won, 42-36, in overtime without the Bills being able to touch the ball. Fortunately, the overtime rules have since been changed.

Dallas v. Philadelphia, Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

It was believed that Dak Prescott would be able to return from his thumb injury, but barring a surprise, Cooper Rush, undefeated in five NFL starts, will face the Eagles. Considered one of the weakest at the start of the season, the East Division of the National has three teams that have already won at least four victories, including the Cowboys and the Eagles. Several players on the Eagles offensive line are hampered by injury and the Cowboys defensive front will have to take advantage of it. Otherwise, the Cowboys secondary could struggle against AJ Brown, DeVante Smith and Dallas Goedert.

Denver v. Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, 8:15 p.m.

Will Russell Wilson and the Broncos attack have taken advantage of the last 10 days to find some cohesion? They seemed to have regressed in their loss to the Colts on Oct. 6. The Chargers have won their last two games and a win over Denver would give them a cushion for second in the American West behind the Chiefs. Justin Herbert is second in the league with 1,478 passing yards, while running back Austin Ekeler already has 527 yards and five touchdowns. And remember that Keenan Allen missed several games…