New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw three interceptions in the first half, then ran himself out of the back of the end zone for a safety in the fourth quarter, but it still wasn’t enough to cost the Jets the game. Some late-game heroics from fourth-string quarterback Matt Simms, an eventful overtime period and an eventual game-winning field goal by kicker Billy Cundiff lifted the Jets to victory over the New York Giants in the annual preseason “Snoopy Bowl,” 24-21.
For the third week in a row, the Giants’ offense sputtered from the start, save for an 84-yard touchdown run by David Wilson on their first offensive play of the game. Despite forcing five turnovers, that was the lone touchdown of the night for an offensive unit that continues to struggle scoring touchdowns.
Their red-zone performance did not improve from previous weeks, as they failed to score a touchdown on two trips inside the Jets’ 20-yard line. They also finished the night converting three of 18 third downs.
“It’s a good defense, they make a lot of offenses earn every point that you get,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. “We didn’t fall over, we didn’t make tons of mistakes. It’s just a matter of executing and doing better on third down.”
Manning threw for just 83 yards while completing eight of 20 pass attempts. It looked like he might connect with receiver Hakeem Nicks in the corner of the end zone during the second quarter, but the Giants’ quarterback put it a bit too far out of Nicks’ reach and the team failed to come away with points from the Jets’ two-yard line.
Head coach Tom Coughlin was not particularly pleased with his team’s performance, especially the offensive group that he agrees has not played up to par.
“The one thing that’s very disappointing to me is where we are offensively and the fact that we, in all three areas, were obviously not doing what we need to do in order to give ourselves a chance to win,” Coughlin said. “We haven’t done very well on third down the whole fall. It’s a probably a continuation of the same issues. “
The Giants handled the rookie Smith for most of the evening, but failed to sack him over the course of three-plus quarters played by the Jets’ quarterback. He finished the evening 16-of-30 passing for 199 yards, a touchdown and those aforementioned three interceptions. Still, he was pleased with his first night of extended action this summer.
“I think this is just another learning experience for me,” Smith said. “It felt good to be out there with my teammates competing once again. It was a good team win tonight.”
The Jets’ incumbent starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was brought in to play the fourth quarter, which was widely considered a questionable move on the part of head coach Rex Ryan. Concern turned to reality as Sanchez was knocked out of the game by a bruising hit from Giants defensive tackle Marvin Austin. The extent of his injury is unknown at this time, but it didn’t look good.
The injury bug also struck the Giants early on, as both Jayron Hosley (sprained ankle) and Stevie Brown (sprained knee) left the game in the first quarter. Both players will go for MRIs on Monday.
The Giants did have one player return from injury. Cornerback Terrell Thomas, who hasn’t played in a game since August of 2011 after tearing his right ACL each of the last two summers, made his long-awaited return and performed well, recording three tackles on defense.
“I wasn’t nervous, I was ready to go,” Thomas said. “It was weird, I thought I would cry, but I was just excited the whole time and everyone was happy for me. It just felt good to be back out there with my teammates.”
The Giants now move forward at 1-2 with their last preseason matchup on the road against the New England Patriots. The Patriots’ offense will present a daunting challenge for the Giants’ defense. The fourth and final preseason game is often a last chance for players on the bubble to prove themselves, and it will be interesting to see who can stand out against a talented Patriots team.
Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.