New York Giants vs. New York Jets: Jets Grades, Notes and Quotes
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Ryan Fitzpatrick emerged from behind the curtains at MetLife Stadium and readied himself to speak to the local media. He was still dressed in his Jets uniform, albeit absent his helmet, having just led New York to a victory over their crosstown rival Giants.
Just before taking the two steps up to the top of the podium, he looked out at the 30-or-so reporters sitting in the chairs in front of him. He smiled.
"First time I've been excited to come to the podium all year," he joked.
The Jets journeyman veteran quarterback was all smiles as he broke down, discussed and reminisced about Gang Green's 23-20 overtime victory over the Giants Sunday afternoon. The win improved the Jets' record to 7-5 and moved the team into the sixth and final AFC wild-card spot.
"I think it was a great team win," Fitzpatrick said. "There was a lot of stuff that needed to happen there in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter where we kind of played complimentary football.
"There was always a great belief in the huddle, great belief on the sideline that we could come back and take this thing."
Early on, Sunday's game had all the makings of one that would have Fitzpatrick anything but giddy at his postgame presser. The Giants, with the assistance of a couple of big plays, jumped out to a 20-10 halftime lead.
After a first quarter that only saw a Jets field goal, the Giants scored the first touchdown of the day when returner Dwayne Harris took a punt 80 yards to the house. A short time later, the Giants grabbed their first lead of the day when kicker Josh Brown drilled a 20-yard field goal.
Trailing by seven, the Jets tied things up in the second quarter when running back Bilal Powell, who finished with eight receptions for 91 yards, caught a short pass and raced 25 yards for a touchdown. After the score, though, the Giants took full command of the game.
On the very next possession, Big Blue receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who finished with six catches for 149 yards, caught a pass over the middle and raced 77 yards for a touchdown. Shortly there after, Brown connected on his second field goal to give the Giants a 10-point halftime lead.
With the Giants getting the ball first to start the third quarter, and having all of the game's momentum, it looked like the team was ready to pull away, but the Jets defense tightened up. After 20 first-half points, the Giants were held scoreless in the second half.
Still, the Giants took their 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter. With the Jets offense struggling to do much of anything, it took a big defensive play to ignite a comeback.
Thanks to two defensive penalties that extended the drive, the Giants drove 37 yards in 12 plays, setting up shop at the Jets' 4-yard line. Looking at a 4th-and-goal with under five minutes to play, Giants coach Tom Coughlin elected to go for it, instead of kicking a field goal to go up 13 points.
Manning dropped back, but with no one open, he decided to force the ball to receiver Rueben Randle. Jets safety Rontez Mile jumped in front of the pass, intercepted it and returned it to the Jets 14.
"We were doubling," Miles said. "He ran a pick route, so I jumped the under route. I guess [Manning] saw it. He hesitated, and I think (Leger) Douzable added pressure, so he had to get rid of the ball earlier than he wanted to.
"Right place, right time and it was in my hands."
Fitzpatrick, who finished with 390 yards passing and two touchdowns, didn't waste much time capitalizing on the turnover. The quarterback took the Jets 80 yards in 12 plays, setting up a 24-yard Randy Bullock field goal to cut the Giants lead to seven.
Four players later, the Jets offense was back on the field following a Giants three-and-out. This time, Fitzpatrick got the Jets in the end zone.
Facing a 1st-and-goal at the Giants' 9-yard line, Fitzpatrick lofted a ball high for receiver Brandon Marshall. The wideout jumped high, grabbed the ball and pulled it in for a touchdown to help tie the game. Marshall finished the game with 12 catches for 131 yards.
"That dude he makes my job so easy," Fitzpatrick said. "We got single coverage, which we put him to the wide field and basically just threw it up and said Brandon make a play. (He) came down with it, made it look easy. It’s not easy to do, but he made it look easy."
The score sent the game to overtime where the Jets won the toss. After electing to receive, Fitzpatrick again took the Jets on a scoring drive. Thirteen plays and 61 yards later, Bullock connected on a 31-yard field goal to give the Jets a 23-20 lead.
On the Giants ensuing possession, Manning looked to answer. The two-time Super Bowl MVP got the Giants down to the Jets 30, but a Brown field-goal attempt sailed wide of the goal posts. The miss broke Brown's franchise record of 29 consecutive made kicks.
"Just a bad hit," Brown said. "I just have to keep my head down, look through the ball and there's nothing else I can do about it."
Next week, the Jets will host the 3-9 Tennessee Titans. The Giants, meanwhile, will travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins.
Position Grades for Jets
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Quarterback: It seems like quite a long time ago that many were calling for Geno Smith to start as the Jets' quarterback. In his last two games, Fitzpatrick is 58-of-87 (66 percent) for 567 yards with 6 TDs and 0 INT. Against the Giants, he was nearly perfect. The quarterback completed 72 percent of his passes and threw for 390 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His 15-yard run on 4th-and-6 set up New York's game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. For second consecutive week, "Fitz Magic" was again on display. A
Running Backs: Chris Ivory was decent, rushing 10 times for 47 yards and catching five passes for 22 yards, but Bilal Powell was arguably the best back on the field Sunday. The fifth-year pro rushed six times for 17 yards and caught eight passes for 91 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown. B+
Receivers: There was some East Rutherford talk leading into this game that Giants cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara would be able to handle Jets wideouts Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. On Sunday, that wasn't the case. Marshall caught 12 passes for 131 yarsd and a touchdown, while Decker added eight catches for 101 yards. Quincy Enunwa got involved as well, making two grabs for 37 yards. A
Tight Ends: Kellen Davis caught a pass! So, that's a little progress. Other than that, the tight ends did not contribute much, which is the norm. C
Offensive Line: It wasn't always pretty from the big men up front. Ryan Fitzpatrick was sacked three times, and the running game managed just 3.8 yards per carry. The group certainly got better as the game went on, but Fitzpatrick was beaten in a nearly criminal fashion in the first half. Again, the Giants entered averaging less than a sack a game, but they had three against the Jets. C+
Defensive Line: Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams had sacks, while the Giants' rushing attack managed just 74 yards, averaging 3.1 yards a carry. Nice outing. B+
Linebackers: Mike Catapano had a sack, but that was about all that was notable from this particular group Sunday. None were "bad," but none really stood out, either. C+
Defensive Backs: Odell Beckham Jr., each and every week, is going to get his yards and catches. He's arguably the NFL's best receiver and really can't be stopped. Against the Jets, he caught six passes for 149 yards, highlighted by a 77-yard touchdown.
Outside of Beckham, though, all other wideouts were kept in check—literally. Rueben Randle, David Harris, Hakeem Nicks and Myles White combined to catch five passes for 42 yards. That's a pretty impressive defensive effort considering the Jets were without Darrelle Revis and Marcus Williams. This is a surprising, but deserving, grade. A
Special Teams: Nothing surprising here. The Jets' special teams unit was atrocious against the Giants. Dwayne Harris had an 80-yard punt-return touchdown and nearly took a kick back in overtime. Horrendous. F
Coaching: Fundamentally, there was nothing wrong with what the Jets did. Head coach Todd Bowles made no questionable decisions. There was the odd choice to run a screen pass on third down near the goal line in overtime, but still, that's understandable.
Where this grade drops drastically is regarding the Jets' discipline. Discipline falls on the players' shoulders, but for a grading perspective, that gets put on the coaches. Eight boneheaded penalties for 61 near-damning yards. The Giants picked up multiple first downs because of the Jets' mental mistakes. New York can't have that, and it nearly cost the squad. The fact the team won is the only reason this isn't a failing grade. D-
Jets Getting Big Returns on Offseason Trades
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Well before any of the Jets' mega-money free-agent acquisitions put pen to paper on their offseason contracts, Mike Maccagnan made a pair of trades hoping to bolster New York's roster.
The first-year general manager sent a fifth-round pick over to the Chicago Bears for wideout Brandon Marshall. Then, he took the team's sixth-round pick and shipped that to Houston for the rights to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The plan was, once both players arrived in Florham Park, for Fitzpatrick to compete for the Jets' starting quarterback job, while Marshall would become New York's No. 1 receiver.
Twelve weeks into the NFL regular season, Fitzpatrick and Marshall may be the two biggest and most important moves the Jets have made to date. And against the Giants, both displayed exactly why.
Marshall finished the game catching 12 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Fitzpatrick completed 36-of-50 passes for 390 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 107.9 and also scrambled five times for 22 yards.
But the thing is, the two players' production against the Giants was just the latest chapter in a book filled with dominant performances this year. In fact, the two are narrowing in on the single-best seasons any Jets receiver or quarterback have had in franchise history.
Through 12 games, Marshall has pulled in 83 passes for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's on pace to finish the year with 110 catches for 1,416 yards and 13 touchdowns. That would be the most catches, second-most yards and second-most touchdowns by any receiver in a single season in Jets history.
As for Fitzpatrick, this season, he's thrown for 2,866 yards and 22 touchdowns. If he continues on this pace, he'll finish the year with 3,821 yards and 29 touchdowns. That would be the second-most passing yards in any one season, and it's tied for the most passing touchdowns.
Again, that's not a bad haul for two late-round picks.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Breaks Free on 4th-and-6
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It was arguably the biggest non-scoring play of the day. Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the Jets offense set up at the Giants' 36-yard line, facing a 4th-and-6.
If New York failed to get a first down, the game would be over, and the Giants would trot off the field at MetLife Stadium with a 20-13 victory. If a first down was picked up, the Jets' chances would stay alive.
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick lined up in the shotgun, looked left, looked right, and then...
Took off.
"Well, we called a pass play," Jets coach Todd Bowles said after the game, laughing.
With no one open, Fitzpatrick spotted a running lane and darted forward for a 15-yard gain. Two plays later, the quarterback found Brandon Marshall for the game-tying touchdown with just 32 seconds to play.
While Fitzpatrick has never been known as a "runner" throughout his career, the quarterback has been doing it more and more for the Jets this season. Against the Giants, with the game on the line, he used his feet, instead of his arm, needing a play.
"They played two-man, and everybody kind of turned their backs to me," Fitzpatrick said. "That was a critical juncture in the game where I just saw that I could definitely pick up the first down that way, so that’s what I did. And I did slide once today too (joking)."
Overall, Fitzpatrick rushed five times for 22 yards while also making his fair share of plays through the air. The quarterback threw for a season-high 390 yards. In his last two games, Fitzpatrick is completing 66 percent of his passes and has thrown for 567 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
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Playoff Picture Update
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Oh, what a difference a week makes.
At this point seven days ago, the Jets were out of the playoffs. The team, due to tiebreakers, was the seventh seed in a situation where only six make it to the next round. But after this week's slate of games, the Jets have moved up.
At 7-5, the Jets are presently the sixth seed in the playoffs. While they have the same record as the fifth-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, due to a better conference record, KC is ahead of New York.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) play Sunday night. If the Steelers lose, the Jets will be 1.5 up on Pittsburgh, due to a better overall record and record within conference. If the Steelers win, New York will be a half-game up due to a better conference record.
The following is the AFC Playoff from the wild-card spot down:
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Fifth Seed: Kansas City Chiefs (7-5)
Sixth Seed: New York Jets (7-5)
Seventh Seed (Non-Playoff Spot): Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) [Play Sunday Night vs. Colts]
Eighth Seed (Non-Playoff Spot): Buffalo Bills (6-6)
Ninth Seed (Non-Playoff Spot): Houston Texans (6-6)
Brandon Marshall Calls Josh Brown Missed Kick
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"It got to the point where [Josh Brown] was about to kick the field goal, and I told [Ryan Fitzpatrick] they’re going to miss it. I said, 'Hey I’ve been in the league 10 years, haven’t made the playoffs, you 11, we’ve bounced around from team to team; the football gods are hearing us right now, so he’s going to miss this kick.'"—Brandon Marshall on what he told Ryan Fitzpatrick before Josh Brown's game-tying attempt
When Ryan Fitzpatrick took to the podium for his postgame press conference, he was asked what was going through his mind as Giants kicker Josh Brown lined up for a game-tying attempt in overtime.
The quarterback admitted he was trying to think of what to do on the next series if Brown's kick was successful. After all, with a make, the Jets would take the field knowing any points on their next drive would result in a victory.
The issue? Brandon Marshall wouldn't let him. The receiver was in his ear saying the "stars were aligning" for the Jets.
When it was Marshall's turn to talk, he was asked what he said to Fitzpatrick. His answer? He called the missed kick.
Sheldon Richardson on the Jets' Making a Statement
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"Not really. Our record's better than theirs, so how's that a statement? Only statement that we made were that our two corners are down, and we still won, so, that's the only thing...That was just a win. On to the next one, we've gotta come out and do this every week."—Sheldon Richardson on the Jets' statement victory.
Standing by his locker, Sheldon Richardson was posed an innocent question. With the Jets having just finished off the Giants, was this a "statement" win for the Jets?
His answer? "No. Not at all."
Eric Decker on Ryan Fitzpatrick
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"Same old Fitz. We go on the ball, and he just has command of the huddle. Getting the play out, calm, collective. He's what a good leader should be."—Eric Decker on Ryan Fitzpatrick.
It seems like an awfully long time ago (although it was just two weeks) that the Jets were in a quarterback conundrum. The team had dropped three of four games, Fitzpatrick had tossed game-sealing interceptions in two of those three and many were calling for Geno Smith's job.
Two victories and six touchdowns later, Fitzpatrick not only has his job for the rest of this season, but likely next year as well.
After the game, Jets wideout Eric Decker was asked about what it's like having Fitzpatrick in the huddle. His answer? "Soothing."
Connor Hughes is the New York Jets beat writer for the Journal Inquirer and Scout.com. All quotes, practice observations and advanced stats referenced are gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Connor can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes) or via email (Connor_j_hughes@yahoo.com).
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