The New York Giants faced off against the New York Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in the final preseason game for both teams.
The game held significance in several ways. It was the Jets debut for superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the final game for many young hopefuls on both sides who are competing for roster spots to strut their stuff as final cuts are due Tuesday afternoon.
The Giants, as the ‘home’ team, wore their blue jerseys while the Jets wore all white. Two veterans — wide receiver Sterling Shepard and linebacker Jihad Ward — served as game captains for Big Blue.
Gametime temperature was a balmy 84 degrees with 49 percent humidity and a slight wind of six miles per hour.
Rodgers 🤝 Jones pic.twitter.com/XzRSYzh7DM
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 26, 2023
Final score: Jets 32, Giants 24
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Giants | 0 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 24 |
| Jets | 14 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 32 |
Keys to the game
- Brandin Echols’ 67-yard interception return for a touchdown on a sloppy pass play between Tommy DeVito and David Sills. It appeared that Sills might have touched Echols while he was on the turf but the score was upheld after a replay.
- The Jets played more starters than the Giants did in this game and it showed. The Giants’ reserves were not in synch and simply couldn’t get much going.
- The Jets were able to get more pressure on the quarterback than the Giants could. The Giants had just one sack to the Jets’ five.
It was over when...
Jets third-string quarterback Tim Boyle found a wide-open Jason Brownlee in the right side of the end zone for a two-point conversion to make the score 25-16 with 9:56 remaining.
The play put the Jets up by two scores and the Giants just could not muster enough offense to get themselves back in the ballgame.
Players of the game
- Quarterback Tommy DeVito looked good again, leading the Giants on several scoring drives and showing good presence in the pocket. He will not be easy to part ways with. In fact, one might say he is closing in on Tyrod Taylor for the primary backup job.
- Kicker Graham Gano was in midseason form. He booted a 57-yard field goal in the first half that cleared the crossbar by plenty. He then followed that up with a kickoff through the uprights. In the second half, Gano connected on another bomb, this time from 56 yards.
- Wide receiver David Sills had an interesting game with six receptions on nine targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. He also played competitively in the run game, providing a key block on Jashaun Corbin’s touchdown run. Whether that is enough for him to make the 53-man roster remains to be seen.
Injuries
After two weeks of escaping serious injuries, the Giants got hit hard in this game. Safety Bobby McCain suffered a concussion after sustaining an illegal hit from Jets receiver Randall Cobb early in the game and did not return.
Four other players — tight end Chris Myarick (hand), cornerback Zyon Gilbert (hamstring), wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton (knee) and guard Wyatt Davis (ankle) — were all ruled out with injuries in the first half.
Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton left the field with a finger injury but returned to play the second half.
What's next?
Head coach Brian Daboll will hold a Zoom call with Giants beat writers on Sunday afternoon followed by a few select players. The team will be off on Sunday and Monday before returning to practice on Tuesday afternoon as they begin their regular season schedule.
Tuesday also represents cutdown dau, where the Giants will trim their roster from 90 players to 53.
The Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, September 10 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
