Happy Tuesday everybody and welcome back to another New York football recap. As I continue to come off of my bye week (I feel I earned it) we have an abridged edition here. With the Jets on the bye we’ll focus on the Giants win against Washington, and the upcoming battle of New York. Lets dive in!

Giants

After a few rough weeks, the Giants have returned to the win column. While it was far from pretty, this was an absolutely critical W to stop the bleeding. This 14-7 slugfest certainly had some bright spots, as the offense showed signs of life and the defense had a big day. Let’s start with the offense, which came out firing early.

For the second consecutive week Tyrod Taylor got the start under center. He did enough to give Big Blue a chance to win last Sunday in Buffalo, and followed it up with an even stronger performance this week. Number two went 18/29 with two touchdown passes and no turnovers and made some impressive throws along the way.

Taylor’s ability to evade pressure and extend plays with his feet is a valuable asset given the Giants o-line issues. With Daniel Jones on the shelf we have a bit of a quarterback controversy brewing. While Taylor isn’t a long term solution for the Giants, his steady play has actually fit the team so far. They should let Jones fully heal and roll with Tyrod for now.

With Taylor playing well, the Giants weapons were able to enjoy bigger days. Darren Waller had seven catches for 98 yards and a beautiful touchdown grab in the second quarter. The typically dynamic Waller broke out of his slump, and hopefully this play continues. Saquon Barkley had his first big game in a few weeks with 77 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving. He also took a short pass from Taylor to the house. It was great to see number 26 looking like his old self. Rookie Jalin Hyatt was once again involved with two impressive catches for 75 yards as Taylor spread the ball around well. While it only amounted to 14 points, it was an encouraging day for the offense.

While the offense showed signs of life, the defense was the real star of the show. With five sacks of Sam Howell, the Giants capitalized on the Commanders putrid offensive line. Leonard Williams put in his best performance of the year with a sack and a blocked field goal. Williams effort was joined by a strong game from Dexter Lawerence who had two sacks of his own.

Rookie Deonte Banks was involved all game long and recorded his first interception in the league, leading the secondary to an impressive day against a talented group of wideouts. The defense won the game on their own with their second half effort, holding on to deny a Washington rally following fumbles by Sterling Shepherd and Saquon Barkley. This was a job well done by a unit that has struggled all year to this point.

While this wasn’t a Picasso, a win is a win, and this one takes some heat off the Giants. At 2-5 they have a little life in the playoff picture, though that’s not what anyone should be thinking about right now. They have a chance to play spoiler next week as the home team against the Jets. A win there could really get some momentum going.

The Battle of New York

As we look ahead to this weeks battle in the swamp we’ve already been given some bulletin board material. Aforementioned rookie Deonte Banks has added some juice to Sunday’s proceedings, saying he can’t “name a single player” on the Jets offense. I’d be careful what I wish for if I was him, Garrett Wilson isn’t the forgiving type. Off the field chatter aside, there is a lot more on the line in this one than just bragging rights.

The Jets come into week eight at 3-3, looking continue their winning ways and gain ground in a crowded AFC playoff picture. With the Dolphins, Bills and Chargers all losing last week, the Jets bye week got even better. They’re now squarely in the hunt and have a favorable schedule ahead of them. The playoffs are a real possibility for Gang Green but they need to remain consistent.

The defense is now firing on all cylinders and the offense has clicked with Zach Wilson taking care of the ball. They have a clear path to victory in several of the games they have left by leaning on their defense and run game. With most of the team at or near full health off the bye anything less than a win against their MetLife Stadium roommates would be a let down.

If they can take care of business I’d like to see Joe Douglas buy at the trade deadline. With teams like the Broncos and Titans starting fire sales, there are some attractive pieces out there that could improve this squad. Strengthening this group for the stretch run would give them a real shot to make the playoffs.

This game will be won and lost in the trenches. If the Jets win up front and are disciplined in their rush lanes up field, they will bottle up Taylor and the Giant offense. If they get careless, Tyrod and company will likely be able to make plays similar to last week against Washington. This should be a close one but I think the Jets come out on top in the end. There is one thing we can all agree on here, this game would be a lot better with retro uniforms.

I’ll be back this week with my wrap up of the New York baseball season, pending the rumored Hal Steinbrenner press conference. Follow me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address.