The annual preseason showdown between the New York Giants and New York Jets might not be called the “Snoopy Bowl” anymore. Even so, it’s still the primary venue for the intercity rivalry between the two teams.
The game used to carry more importance as it was always the third preseason game. It was the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season when teams would play starters into the second half as well as do some rudimentary game planning.
The change to a three-game preseason made that a thing of the past and this year, the Giants and Jets are playing their second preseason game. The Giants had an impressive showing in the first preseason game, with efficient offense and a disruptive defense leading to a 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills.
So what are we watching for this week?
How much will the starters play?
This is probably the biggest question heading into the game.
“We have an idea,” Daboll said on Thursday. “We’ll do our meetings at the end of the day and make our decision on what we’re going to do.
Of course, Daboll has been cagy regarding playing time. His response to that question before the Buffalo game was similarly vague.
“Yeah, so the guys that can play will play,” he said. “And we’ll decide that after practice today.”
Daboll has to balance the need to get the starters ready to play against the Washington Commanders in Week 1 with the need for them to be healthy for the start of the season. It’s a tough balance to strike, and it’s complicated by a number of players getting dinged up through training camp and the first preseason game. It’s further complicated by the fact that the two teams had intense joint practices this week, and the Giants have a short turnaround before they face the New England Patriots on Thursday.
So we’ll be watching to see whether the starters play sparingly (if at all) this game, relying on the joint practices before playing more on Thursday. Or perhaps the team is looking at using a steady ramp-up in playing time, and trusting the 17 days between the final preseason game and Week 1 to get the team rested and ready to play.
We’ll find out later today.
Will Evan Neal play?
We’ll get to the question on the national media’s mind in a minute.
Whether, and how much, Evan Neal plays is a big one, and related to the question about the starters.
Neal didn’t play against the Bills after not participating in the last practice before the game. He returned to practice in the second joint practice, and was thrown right into the mix. He was the second team left guard, as well as split reps with Greg Van Roten as the starting right guard. Neal could be in for a long evening if he plays with both the “starting” and second team offensive lines.
How he plays (assuming he does) is almost as important as if he plays at all.
Neal wasn’t singled out in 11-on-11 periods by reporters in attendance (usually a good sign), and he reportedly held his own in one-on-one drills.
Neal had reps against Derrick Nnadi and Jay Tufele that he won. The impressive thing is that even if Neal gets pushed back a bit, once he sets his feet into the ground and anchors, a play is over. A defender is not getting through his massive frame. – Ed Valentine.
Neal has also had quality reps against Abdul Carter in practice, and given that one-on-one drills typically favor defenders, that’s impressive. At the very least it shows that he can handle power as well as speed from the guard position.
We’ll have to see how it translates into a live game situation.
Can Jaxson Dart put on a show for the hometown crowd?
Despite describing his own performance as “mid” (specifically “6,7”) the Giants’ rookie quarterback was the most impressive young passer in the NFL in week one. Perhaps the most impressive part was that as well as he played, there were things that could be improved upon.
The national media has been trying to manifest a quarterback controversy in Giants land since Dart’s game against the Bills, though it’s likely to no avail. The Giants are committed to Dart’s long-term development, and his play in the preseason might be encouraging but it probably won’t push him into direct competition with Russell Wilson.
Dart, and the Giants’ offense as a whole, had a shaky performance against the Jets’ defense in practice. Will that continue? And if it does, will the national media turn on him and revert to their pre-draft takes that he was over-drafted? On the other hand, how much higher will the fervor grow if Dart has another standout performance?
I’d like to see him continue to build on what he showed against Buffalo, and perhaps slow down in certain circumstances.
I’m also looking to see who gets on the field first, Dart or Jameis Winston. Dart got almost all of the second-team snaps against the Jets in practice, and now I want to see if that continues. It’s even possible that Dart could get the start if the team rests the starters (save players like Neal or Jalin Hyatt), which could be an electric moment given that it’s Dart’s first home game as a Giant.
On the other hand, we’re still expecting that Winston will be the primary backup quarterback for the regular season.
Will the Giants use these preseason games to get Dart valuable game experience against better opponents and trust Winston’s experience to get him ready as a backup? Or, will Winston get those second-team reps at some point either today or Thursday?
Will Miller Time continue?
Dante “Turbo” Miller was the Giants’ offensive MVP in the first game and the only player on either team to eclipse 100 yards of offense.
Can he back up his own performance with another big day? Miller is clearly an explosive athlete (we’ve known that since last year), and he showed impressive hands as well as vision and contact balance in space. He’s well on his way to forcing the Giants to carry four running backs, or perhaps even force a tough cut (or trade) if he can continue to outshine Devin Singletary. We need to see the Giants be more explosive in general, and Miller is one of their most explosive offensive weapons.
That said, I would like to see Miller get more done on the ground. Frustratingly, his best run was called back due to a penalty and the Giants struggled to move the ball on the ground overall.
How well (or poorly) the Giants run the ball will be another big thing to watch overall. The Jets gave up a lot of rushing touchdowns last year (22, fourth-most in the NFL), but they also allowed just 4.1 yards per carry (T-fourth-fewest). It could bode well for the team if they can move the ball on the ground against the Jets’ formidable defensive front. That could also be big for Neal if he gets the start for the Giants and helps them move the ball on the ground.
Battle on the bubble
The Giants’ training camp has been one of the most competitive we’ve seen in a long time. They’re almost sure to cut players who will be snapped up by other rosters, which is a (mostly) welcome change from the last several seasons.
In particular, the depth at wide receiver and cornerback is going to be fascinating to watch.
Starting at wide receiver, I want to see if Hyatt is able to get on the field for the game after missing time with an injury. If he does, I want to see how he’s used. Despite repeatedly getting open as a vertical threat in 2024, he wasn’t a big factor in the Giants’ short-range passing attack. He mentioned earlier in the offseason that he spoke to the coaches about being moved around the offensive formation, and that could be something to watch for.
Down the depth chart, Beaux Collins made a splash early on as an undrafted rookie, while Lil’Jordan Humphry seems to have a good rapport with Dart. Dalen Cambre has been impressive and was a special teams ace in college. Montrell Washington is exciting with the ball in his hands, while Gunner Olszewski has been getting more looks at receiver.
Each of those players also has warts on their game and reasons why they’re on the bubble, but each has also flashed over the course of training camp.
On the flip side, there ever-present concern over the depth of the defensive secondary has reared it’s ugly head.
Tae Banks and Cor’Dale Flott are competing for a starting spot, with the runner-up becoming a very high quality CB3. But there’s quite a few questions behind them. Tre Hawkins could have been the CB4, but he’s been dealing with an injury and his status is unknown. Nic Jones has been tormenting Dart in practice and got reps with the starters when both Banks and Flott were unable to practice. He seems to be in line to start this week, and could be CB2 with Banks, Flott, and Hawkins all dinged.
Whether any of the other corners on the roster are able to step up and distinguish themselves this week. Doing so would take pressure off the front office, though you can never have enough cornerbacks so the secondary may need to be reinforced further before the start of the season.
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