Is Giants-Jets a real rivalry?
Regionally, yes. In the standings, no.
But for the next two days, the Giants and Jets will share the practice field (Tuesday in Florham Park and Wednesday in East Rutherford) and give us clues to which team has more reason to be optimistic that the time is now for an overdue turnaround. They face off at 7 p.m. Saturday at MetLife Stadium, too.
Here are five matchups worth watching:
Giants WR Malik Nabers vs. Jets CB Sauce Gardner: If Nabers, who is managing a toe injury, is going to end the season in the conversation for the best receiver in the league, a good place to start is by taking it to the new highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Gardner played well against the Packers to start what he hopes is a rebound season.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson vs. Giants CB Paulson Adebo: Adebo secured a three-year, $54 million contract to be a No. 1 cornerback. His first test is the bendy Wilson, who just received his own big bag of cash and has a long-established rapport with QB Justin Fields. The hope is they match up in one-on-one drills since Adebo doesn’t travel with receivers in 11-on-11.
Jets RT Armand Membou/LT Olu Fashanu vs. Giants EDGE Abdul Carter: Membou-Carter is a battle of rookie top 10 picks. Fashanu-Carter is a battle of former Penn State teammates. Carter has looked unblockable in spinning his way through Giants camp and just got the best of Bills Pro Bowler Dion Dawkins with his speed in his preseason debut.
Giants QB Russell Wilson vs. Jets LB Jamien Sherwood: Let the chess match begin. Will Wilson change plays at the line of scrimmage, like he does in games? The Jets gave Sherwood a $45 million contract extension to replace C.J. Mosley and be the signal-caller and on-field lieutenant to head coach Aaron Glenn and coordinator Steve Wilks.
Jets RBs Breece Hall/Braelon Allen vs. Giants DTs: The Giants rushing defense, which has been an issue for two years, still looks suspect, despite significant offseason investments. The Jets are going to be a power running team — 40 carries against the Packers — with Fields keeping RPOs as an important element. The 235-pound Allen looks explosive.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
