Giants wrap up preseason slate with dominant 23-6 win over Jets

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While most of the starters weren’t in action, Friday night’s game was a final chance for Jets and Giants players to make their case for a roster spot. After a convincing win, the Giants can feel good about their depth.

The Jets took a 6-0 lead on their first offensive possession with a 10-play drive that ended with short touchdown run by undrafted rookie running back Chip Trayanum. However, their offense struggled for the rest of the half and the Giants overcame two turnovers to take a 10-6 lead on a Tyrone Tracy touchdown run and a short field goal by Dominic Zvada.

The rookie Zvada, who looks to have secured the placekicker job over Ben Sauls, extended the lead to 16-6 with a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter and another early in the fourth. The Jets already announced that Jason Sanders has won their own kicking contest, but his early missed extra point won’t fill their fans with confidence, and he also missed a 54-yard field goal.

Jake Haener’s 37-yard touchdown pass to former Jets receiver Xavier Gipson made it 23-6 with 10:30 remaining. At the time, Big Blue had outgained the Jets by 354 yards to 99, as they clearly dominated in all three phases. They ran out the clock on their next possession and ultimately outgained the Jets by 400 yards to 139.

Here are the takeaways…

-With most starters on both teams sitting, the Jets opted to use defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat and edge defender Joseph Ossai on the first two Giants possessions. These were two of the Jets’ biggest offseason acquisitions on the defensive side of the ball but hadn’t been able to suit up in the first two preseason games due to injuries. Both flashed as Sweat blew up a run in the backfield and Ossai got in Jameis Winston’s face to break up a pass.-John Harbaugh has been honest about wanting to see more from Tracy and he ran hard as he had four carries for 37 yards and a touchdown in the first half. However, he ended up being sidelined with a head/neck injury. Tracy’s spot on the 53 is not entirely secure depending on how many running backs the Giants plan to carry and new addition Najee Harris, who might be his main competition, also played well with 59 yards on 12 touches.-The Jets defense, which was historically bad at forcing turnovers last year, showed more playmaking abilities in this game after having intercepted two passes last week. Linebacker Marcelino McCrary ball intercepted a pass that was deflected by cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers and then forced a Braxton Berrios fumble which Stiggers recovered in the end zone. Despite these two plays, Stiggers had a mixed day, as he got beaten deep and had a personal foul on special teams.-The Giants haven’t had much of a chance for their starting offensive line to play together in preseason, which was probably a factor in their three interior starters – center John Michael Schmitz and guards Francis Mauigoa and Jon Runyan Jr. – all getting the start. For most of the game, the Giants offensive front got the better of the Jets’ defensive line, but not necessarily on those early drives. Guard Evan Neal was a standout with the second unit, though.-Gang Green would have liked to have seen more from rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik, who was at the helm during the first half, as he is expected to be the backup this season. On their scoring drive, he handed the ball to Trayanum on nine of the 10 plays, as their backup offensive line had their way with a Giants front seven than was also comprised of backups. Klubnik ended up with six completions on 13 passes and didn’t complete one down the field until there were less than two minutes left in the half. He was also intercepted by linebacker Zaire Barnes.-One Giants player who stood out was edge defender Trace Ford, who had a sack and blew up two runs in the backfield in the first half. For the Jets, Nate Lynn continued his late push for a roster spot with another sack after having had two last week.-The Jets lost rookie guard Anez Cooper to an apparent right wrist injury in the second quarter. The sixth round pick was probably destined to be a healthy scratch to start the season anyway, so if he needs to go on injured reserve instead, it might ironically be beneficial in terms of freeing up a roster spot for another potential contributor.

Game MVP: Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham’s attempts to make the Giants’ roster has been one of the stories of the summer and he made a strong case for himself here with three catches for 53 yards before sitting out the second half. Beckham, who also drew a flag for pass interference, was looking sharp as he showcased that he still has the ability to create separation. It could have been a monster half for Beckham, who was wide open for a potential deep touchdown but was unlucky not to be able to hang onto a diving catch attempt on Winston’s overthrown pass.

Highlights

What's next

The Jets and Giants begin their 2026-27 campaigns on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Gang Green will head to Nashville to take on the Titans at 1 p.m. while Big Blue hosts the Cowboys in a primetime matchup at 8:20 p.m.

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