NFL | New York, New York | La Presse

Miguel Bujold
The print

Two pieces of robots for those who answered 48^And Super Bowl, which premiered February 2, 2014 at MetLife Stadium, and pitted the Seahawks against the Broncos. No, the good people of the Big Apple and New Jersey haven’t eaten much in ten years.

Oddly enough, the history of the Giants and that of the Jets have been very similar over the past decade. 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 a good year, in 2016. He was the first of manager 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 last few seasons, as much as Daniel Jones’s first, have been starved 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 to more than 50 years ago (1969) and in the last decade they have only had one winning season. Todd Bowles managed to win 10 games in his first season as head coach in 2015. Excluding that season, the Jets are 53-108 since 2011 and have lost more than two-thirds of their games, too.

In short, the two New York clubs had become the laughing stock. However, this seems on the verge of changing.

Thanks to their surprising win over the Packers in London last Sunday, the Giants have confirmed their excellent start to the season and are now 4-1. A few hours later, the Jets offered a 23-point win over the Dolphins and thus improved their record to 3-2.

A fragile success? Yes of course. We are still a long way from participating in the playoffs or even a winning season. However, these bright spots were eagerly awaited in the snappy New York market. The credit must first go to 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 2018-2021.

Daboll’s impact on quarterback Daniel Jones, more consistent and confident, is evident. Although he has to get by without nearly all of his usual receivers, Jones is making his career-record 66.7% pass.

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.

In defense, the Giants have turned to another seasoned coach, Don Wink Martindale, who has played in the NFL since 2004. The defensive coordinator is preparing to face the team that fired him earlier this year, the Baltimore Ravens. The unit of him did very well in the second half of the game against Aaron Rodgers last week, can they do the same against Lamar Jackson?

A promising core

On the side of the Jets, Saleh has taken control of a team that had been in circles since the American’s two league games in 2009 and 2010. The former 49ers defensive coordinator already has a promising core under his hands.

The 2022 draft could become the best in the history of the Jets. Sauce Gardner will become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL; racer Breece Hall is currently the favorite for Outstanding Offensive Rookie; wide band Garrett Wilson took 23 passes in his first 5 games; and quarterback fighter Jermaine Johnson made some great plays in a reserve role.

But the most important young man is Zach Wilson. According to prospect selected at the 2021 auction, Wilson demonstrates the qualities of a quarterback that have convinced the Jets to draft him since his return to the game two weeks ago. They are only two games, but there is hope.

The Giants and the Jets still have a long way to go to climb the ranks of the best clubs in their respective associations. Much. One thing, however, seems clear enough: they are led by brilliant and competent coaches.

That said, the most important thing for both teams will be to make sure their recent modest success isn’t fleeting, like McAdoo’s and Bowles’ … next months. The key will be that it doesn’t drag on, which is the danger when a culture of underdogs is rooted in a team.

Three games to watch

Buffalo c. Kansas City, Sunday, 4:25 pm

The game of the season. The Bills and the Chiefs look set to meet in the AFC Finals, don’t they? If they were to end in a draw, it is obviously this Sunday’s game that would serve to break the tie. Last year, the two powers crossed paths in the second round of the playoffs, an epic match in which 25 points were scored in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had won, 42-36, in extra time without the Bills getting to touch the ball. Fortunately, the overtime rules have since changed.

Dallas v. Philadelphia, Sunday, 8:20 pm

It was believed that Dak Prescott would be able to return from his thumb injury, but barring one 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 wins, including the Cowboys and the Eagles. Several players on the Eagles ‘offensive line are hampered by injury and the Cowboys’ defensive front will need to take advantage of it. If not, the Cowboys’ secondary could battle AJ Brown, DeVante Smith and Dallas Goedert.

Denver v. Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, 8:15 pm

Did Russell Wilson and the Broncos attack take advantage of the last 10 days to find some cohesion? They appeared to have regressed in their defeat to the Colts on 6 October. The Chargers have won their last two games and a win over Denver would give them an advantage for second place 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 has missed several games …