It has been a very interesting National Football League season in New York for two teams that have struggled in recent years. In 2022, both the Jets and Giants have winning records and legitimate shots at earning a postseason berth.
If the Giants crack the playoff field, it will be their first winning season and postseason appearance since 2016. That year, the Giants finished behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East Division but won a Wild Card spot, a game they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
The Jets are looking for their first postseason action since 2010. That year, the Jets won a pair of playoff games over the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots before being edged in Pittsburgh by the Steelers, 24-19, in the AFC Championship Game.
So, with good things happening for the teams that play their home games at MetLife Stadium you can understand the excitement in New York. And, because of recent failures, you can also understand that few fans of these two long suffering franchises are counting on anything special. Hope more than expectation.
The Jets just missed handing the Minnesota Vikings their third loss of the season last Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. They had closed a double-digit deficit to five points and drove into the red zone late in the game before being turned away by the sturdy Vikings defense.
The Giants also missed picking up their eighth victory last week in a home game against the hard charging Washington Commanders. Still, they escaped that division battle with a tie, 20 to 20, which may well leave them with an edge over other NFC teams looking to crack the playoff field through the Wild Card route.
The Jets come into play this week two games back of the AFC East Division leading Buffalo Bills and meet Josh Allen’s team on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. New York upset the Bills five weeks ago as a 10½ point home underdog, they are getting a similar number of points for their second season meeting on Sunday.
The Bills real challenge right now, unless the Jets can upset them on their home field, is the second place Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins also upset the Bills in their first meeting and are wedged in the standings with eight wins, one behind the Bills and one ahead of the Jets.
Miami finishes up a three game road trip next Sunday at Highmark Stadium, with the Bills looking to both avenge their earlier season setback and move closer to earning the top seed for the American Football Conference playoffs. They are currently tied with the Kansas City Chiefs based on season records, but the Bills own the tiebreaker against Patrick Mahomes and company by virtue of a victory at Arrowhead Stadium in October.
As for the Giants, they are playing the team leading their division today when the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Giants at the Met. The Eagles own the best record in football, 11-1, and Sunday’s battle is the first of two regular season matches between these two NFC East combatants. The Giants and Eagles will again tangle next month, in Philadelphia, on the final day of the regular season.
This is a game where the Eagles are attempting to keep the top perch in the NFC, and the Giants are fighting for their playoff lives. That lends a healthy motivational edge to the home team in this game, and the seven points on the spread adds insurance to a contest we expect to be won by the underdog.
Qoxhi Picks: New York Giants (+7) over Philadelphia Eagles