Jets Play Most Complete Game of the Preseason, Knock off the Giants

In their third preseason game of the year, the Jets defeated the Giants by a score of 28-18.

The most impressive and relieving part about the victory was the play of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the offense.

When Geno Smith went down before the first preseason game with a broken jaw, the biggest concern for Fitzpatrick was whether he would be ready to go for the season opener given the fact that he had not been practicing with the first team during training camp. We saw the result of the lack of preparation in Detroit. Last week, Fitzpatrick and the offense showed improvement, but they still weren’t at the level Jets fans wanted them to be at.

Eric Decker (Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

But this week, Fitzpatrick finished his night completing 9 of 14 passes for 127 yards. He also had a touchdown pass to Eric Decker (18 yards) and Zac Stacey (24 yards). The starting offense scored 14 points in the first half along with a pick-six from Antonio Cromarti for a total of 21 first half points. The offensive display from Fitzpatrick and company was definitely a much needed performance and a huge sigh of relief.

Assuming that Fitzpatrick will not play next week, he finished the preseason on 24-36 on pass attempts which is 67 percent. He threw for 261 yards, had two touchdown passes, and no interceptions.

Although it’s just the preseason, these numbers are satisfying going into the regular season.

On the negative side, rookie defensive end Leonard Williams suffered a knee injury in the first half and was unable to return. Williams will undergo an MRI on his knee. On the bright side, Mohammad Wilkerson did make his preseason debut tonight recording 0.5 sacks. He did not play every down in the first half, however, he was on the field enough so everyone can relax about his lingering hamstring injury.

Another positive from the game was the defense. There is a lot of hype surrounding the Giants’ offense this season because Eli Manning will have Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr to throw to and the Jets were able to hold them to just 7 points in the first half. And Demario Davis had two costly penalties on the one drive where the Giants scored.

The Jets will wrap up their preseason schedule this Thursday night at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

That game will be on the boring side due to the fact that the starters for both sides will be rested. But on the bright side, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow will be returning to MetLife Stadium. I’m sure Jets fans remember those names quite well.