Conor’s Side:

For many years, both the New York Giants and New York Jets have been two teams representing New York City in the National Football League. Though both of these teams have experienced highs and lows throughout both of their respective histories, there is one question to be asked. Which team is better?

While some may think that the Giants are better, there is an interesting argument to prove that the Jets are the better team. Of course through both of their histories, it is no doubt that the Giants are obviously better, with four Super Bowl championships compared to the Jets lone one. However, if one were to look at the current state of these two franchises, the Jets make a very strong case to be the better team. Since 2015, both teams have had unimpressive seasons, the Giants being 48-81-1, and the Jets being 44-86, the amount of success between the two teams almost exact without the one playoff appearance the Giants had in 2022. With this comparison in mind, what distinguishes the Jets as a better team? Talent. While the Giants have very good offensive and defensive talent with players such as Daniel Jones, Saqoun Barkley, and Kevon Thibodeaux, the Jets have a better core of younger and more talented players. This includes defensive players Quincy Williams, Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, and Sauce Gardener. All of these players alone have led the Jets to have one of the strongest defenses in football. In addition, there is talent on the offensive side of the ball as well. This includes Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers. While their offense has been unproductive and limited in the last couple of years for the Jets, there is plenty of talent and potential to make it great and in total make the Jets a good team. 

Another thing that can be argued to make the Jets a better team is injuries. Injuries of course have been a big issue for the Giants lately, costing them to lose big pieces in their offensive line, quarterback Daniel Jones, and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. This of course, completely destroyed any hope the Giants had on offense. They rank last in points per game, with just 11.8, and they rank first in the NFL among sacks given up. The Jets offense, being very injured as well, has also seen struggles on the offensive side, scoring 16 points per game, and allowing 25 sacks total, almost half of the amount the Giants have. With both of these teams seeing similar circumstances in terms of injuries on their offense, it is very easy to say that the Jets are a better team in terms of depth. They have still been able to produce a 4-5 record in 2023 so far, in comparison to the Giants record of 2-7.

Something else that makes the Jets a better team is overall production. The Jets have scored more points this season than the Giants, scoring 144 total in comparison to the 118 the Giants have scored this season, placing them as the worst offense in football, with lower total yards, yards per game, total points, and points scored then any team in football. The Jets, while not being incredible on offense, have still had better production overall on offense. They are also better on the defensive side of the football. Surpassing the Giants struggling defense this year, which has allowed 266 total points this season, and 2,373 total yards. The Jets are one of the most dominant defenses in football, having only allowed 1,524 total yards this season, which ranks them 6th in the NFL, but they have also allowed 172 points total, ranking them 6th as well in the NFL. Through all of this, it is very easy to see which team is better, the New York Jets.

Chris’ Side:

 To say the New York Giants have been unlucky this year is an understatement. The amount of injuries that have piled onto the team after last years’ playoff win, a first for the team since their 2011 superbowl win, is almost unfathomable. This has affected the teams’ performance this year, resulting in a poor 2-8 record. However, a deeper dive into the numbers and the context of those numbers show that the Giants are better than their fellow MetLife rival, the Jets. The injury bug hit the Giants in the most important position, quarterback. Daniel Jones, the Giants starting QB who is on a four year, $160 million contract, first got injured in week six with a neck injury, missing three games. He returned in the Giants’ week nine contest against the Las Vegas Raiders only to suffer a season-ending ACL injury. The Giants’ backup quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, played in weeks five and six in Daniel Jones’ absence, securing a win against division rival Washington Commanders (4-6 record) and a close 14-9 loss against the Buffalo Bills (5-5 record). Unfortunately, Taylor suffered a rib injury against the New York Jets, causing him to miss every game since. In stepped Tommy DeVito, an undrafted rookie quarterback with no NFL experience, who had been waived by the Giants earlier in the season before being re-signed due to Jones’ injury. The Giants’ offensive line, already one of the worst in the NFL, had been destroyed by injuries, with first round picks Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal missing multiple weeks each due to an ankle injury and hamstring injury respectively. 

    So one would expect the Jets, with their mostly healthy team and 2018 second overall pick manning the team, would be able to easily defeat the completely injured Giants led by an undrafted quarterback, right? Actually, no. Giants star running back Saquon Barkley (coming off an elbow injury) torched the Jets defense running for over 125 yards, with the Giants defense locking up the Jets offense, limiting them to only 7 points until the final seconds of the game. Giants’ kicker Graham Gano could have sealed a Giants victory in the final minute of the 4th quarter, (Giants were already up 10-7) but he missed, giving the Jets the ball back who would capitalize making the game 10-10, sending it to overtime. Due to the NFL’s flawed overtime rules, the Jets were able to win off of a field goal after a Giants punt, ending the game 13-10. 

     Although the Jets won that game, it was hardly in commanding fashion, with the Giants kicker being the reason for the teams’ loss. Since we are not comparing the teams’ kickers, and rather the teams as a whole, it’s clear that the Giants had a more impressive performance. It is also worth noting that Tommy DeVito, an extremely inexperienced quarterback, had to enter the game midway through, after Tyrod Taylor’s injuries, so he didn’t even have time to practice to fill the role of the Giants’ starter. But maybe this game was a one-off, right? So let’s compare Giants and Jets comparable performances. The Giants played their division rival Commanders (4-6 record) 14-7 with their backup quarterback and numerous offensive line injuries. Meanwhile, the Jets lost to their division rival Patriots (2-8 record) 15-10, despite having an almost completely healthy roster. The Giants’ record also does not reflect their quality this year, mainly due to the fact that they have already played the hard teams they will face, with their schedule getting easier from here. For example, their next three games consist of the Commanders, (4-6) Patriots (2-8) ,and  Packers (3-6) , while the Jets’ include the Bills (5-5) , Dolphins (6-3) , and Falcons (4-6). When you look under the surface of their respective records’, it’s clear that the New York Giants are better than the New York Jets.