Woah. ONE word describes the New York Jets and New York Giants week seven games. Followed by a few more words, because this is a blog, not a sound byte.
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After Week 7 of the NFL season, New York teams are now 6-7-1 collectively. Actually 11-8-1 if you count Buffalo, but we do not count Buffalo around these parts. Both the New York Jets and New York Giants played tough in week seven, with opposite outcomes once again. Can you you believe the Giants are truly still in first place?
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How competent are the New York Jets this season? Survey says… Can the New York Giants win their division? Seems like it. Todd loves the Giants and Dan loves the Jets. They both must take the proverbial podium and speak truth into the microphone. Also proverbial.
New York Jets and Giants Week 7
What have the New York Giants done to unlock this version of JJ McCarthy?
Todd Salem: It’s only been one game, but I was wrong about John Harbaugh’s decision to turn to JJ McCarthy at quarterback. I thought they would only turn to McCarthy if they were punting on the season. Why else turn to the wildly inexperienced and erratic young QB? But on the road against (supposedly) one of the better defenses in the NFL, McCarthy seemed unimpeachably comfortable.
He didn’t finish with any touchdowns or scramble for any yardage on the ground, but he felt in control the entire game. His best performance was on the deep ball, where he consistently layered in passes 20+ yards down the field, mostly to Malik Nabers but also hitting Malachi Fields as well. It was the best of what Jameis Winston can offer, except McCarthy’s misses were uncatchable rather than intercepted.
It all begs the question, what happened in Minnesota for them to dump this guy so fast? They hardly gave him a chance, and yet they were all too glad to send him packing at the first sight of a valid trade offer. There were many stories about his personality clashing with coaches and teammates, and yet that would hardly matter if he performed on the field. No one likes Aaron Rodgers, and he’s heading to the Hall of Fame whenever he calls it quits.
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Obviously, the simplest explanation is small sample size. He’s only played 1+ games for New York. He might not actually be very good. Consistency is everything in this league, and if he starts to miss most of his downfield throws without using his legs to gain or extend, he loses most of his value.
The small sample works in the other direction too. Everyone is speculating that the Vikings gave up on him too fast after getting hurt and barely seeing the field for them over two seasons. In that two-season sample that was actually only one season because he missed his rookie year, McCarthy was a mess. He missed his accuracy all the time; he tried to make throws he couldn’t; he took too many sacks. He wasn’t doing anything like we saw him against Houston this week.
I think it all must come down to growth, and I mean mental growth for McCarthy. As a Viking, he displayed enough immaturity (whether that was with his habits, his personality, his relationship-building) for them to think they could never reach him. Perhaps the trade itself, the cliche of a fresh start, was enough to jolt him back to reality. Perhaps Harbaugh and the New York coaching staff have actually reached him in a different way. Or maybe the 23 year old just needed to grow up a little bit more. Whatever the case, it seems obvious that he is emotionally different as a Giant.
Winning helps that. If the team goes on a losing streak after their bye, we’ll have to zero in on how he and the team really mesh, but for a first impression, McCarthy already outperformed his entire Minnesota tenure.
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Dan Salem: The Vikings had zero patience to develop McCarthy, mainly because they believed they were a veteran QB away from reaching the Super Bowl. Minnesota has had lackluster QB play this year but is undefeated. Mistake free QB play was all they wanted and now they have it. McCarthy needed both tough love and a real chance to develop. In New York he sat behind a proven veteran in Winston, seeing both the good and the bad from the sidelines. Being coached by Harbaugh also helps. None of this surprises me.
Finding a QB is like solving an offensive puzzle, or playing Tetris. The right fit is everything. The Giants are only asking McCarthy to be smart with the football, knowing they could never expect this from Winston. He will make mistakes, but New York keeps doing just enough to win. It’s practically the opposite of their crosstown rivals, which is why the Giants sit in first place.
I love McCarthy’s chances with Harbaugh leading and he is going to keep improving. Coaching matters and Harbaugh is as proven as you get. I believe both players and coaches need time to grow into their professional roles on average, because it’s the rare person who flourishes immediately in the NFL. Every single player is uber talented, so fresh starts truly do help. I like the trajectory of McCarthy and Giants this season.
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When does Aaron Glenn’s seat get hot?
Todd Salem: I think the answer is now, if it wasn’t already. Glenn’s tenure with New York has gotten off to a poor start, to say the least. Last year, we didn’t think there was much Glenn could do other than build an atmosphere and chemistry in the locker room. The beginning of this year, it felt like the Jets were competing but losing to superior opponents.
In recent weeks, though, it seems that coaching is losing them games. I was arguing last week that coaching let them down against New England (though Patriots mistakes kept them in that game as well). This week, the Jets certainly had more talent than the Miami Dolphins and yet lost once again. There is no one else to point the finger at.
Frank Reich’s offense actually felt pretty good. Geno Smith was really solid, as was the Braelon Allen running game. Omar Cooper and Mason Taylor shined in the passing game, proving this team has multiple weapons that defenses have to account for. They were excellent converting third- and fourth-downs.
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Instead, it was the defense that let them down this time. Miami, who had done nothing against anyone all year, had as much ease offensively as New York despite not having good players! I do like Ollie Gordon, but the other names that kept finding space are no one’s idea of household. Even Malik Willis, who has struggled to find running or passing lanes all year, found both and had his best game of the season by far.
If we are seeing the offense come up short some weeks, the defense implode against an inferior opponent, the team fail in most late-half and late-game situations, it all comes back to the coaching staff. I can’t pinpoint a specific decision that Glenn failed at this week, but maybe that’s the point as well. The team didn’t execute defensively for a defensive head coach who is supposed to build his culture. In a year and a half on the job, nothing has been built.
Dan Salem: Fans wanted him fired two weeks ago, so his seat is red hot. Personally, I believe his seat should not be hot at all because most NFL head coaches require time to figure out the job. It’s obvious to me that he is improving, even if the team is standing still and the defense completely whiffed in the first half against Miami.
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I hate to compare these Jets to the Detroit Lions that Glenn was previously a part of, but watching this team gives me a similar vibe. They are not putting everything together in any single week, but there isn’t anything glaring that caused them to lose against the Dolphins either. New York lost the first half and won the second half, losing the game by three points. They made solid halftime adjustments which all worked. The Jets only gave up one big play in the entire second half, which ultimately led to their loss. This team has zero margin for error.
Those Lions started the year piss poor, losing nearly every week but building something that eventually became a winner. Miami this year feels like a similar team. The Jets do too, because they are not getting embarrassed, no matter how people feel about the outcome. It was a field goal and the Jets missed one field goal. The margin for error is razor thin in the NFL, which is why everyone keeps pointing the finger at Aaron Glenn and his coaching. But unless you let him keep going, he won’t learn to get better.
My wish is for Jets fans to learn to be quiet and patient. It was tough to watch the team fall short against Miami, but only because we know they have the talent to be better. I’ll say it again: we must ride out the season and then make decisions. If 90% of the Jets losses are by 7 points or less, I have a hard time firing anyone.
Meet our Sports Writers:
Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.
New York Jets and New York Giants Week 7 – This Is The End
Photo Credits: jetsxfactor.com via Getty Images and twincities.com (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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