By Matthew Post
Correspondent
Week 7 of the NFL has come and gone, and the College’s three most local teams, the Jets, Giants and Eagles, all sit in different positions.
Starting with the Big Blue, the Giants squared off against the 3-3 Washington Commanders. The Giants came into this game with a heartbreaking loss to the Buffalo Bills, a game in which they found themselves on the Bills one yardline twice and came away with zero points both times.
The Giants also came in with a brutal offensive streak with zero offensive touchdowns since their Thursday Night matchup with San Francisco back in September. With the offensive struggles came multiple offensive injuries; quarterback Daniel Jones was set to miss his second straight game, All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas was set to miss his sixth straight game and standout rookie center John Michael Schmitz was set to miss his third straight game.
An offensive line that has already been at the bottom of the league was once again throwing out another makeshift lineup.
Despite all of the Giants disadvantages, they came away with a decisive 14-7 win over their rival Washington, which can be credited to their stout defense and the strong play from backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
The Giants came into this game with five total sacks on the season, and left the game with five sacks on Sam Howell as well as first round rookie Deonte Banks grabbing his first career interception. The defense as a whole allowed a total of seven points, including a blocked field goal by Leonard Williams and a game-clinching fourth down stop in the red zone.
Backup quarterback Tyord Taylor stepped up and broke the long no-touchdown stretch with a 15-yard strike to tight end Darren Waller and a beautiful catch-and-run touchdown by Saqoun Barkley. The second half was not nearly as efficient offensively, but with the defensive effort, 14 points was all they needed to break the four game losing streak.
The Jets on the other hand got a nice week off with their Week 7 bye following their massive upset win against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets sit at 3-3, a strong start given the circumstances to open their season, as many expected the Jets to be near the bottom of the league after the loss of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
But all credit is due to Zach Wilson and the Jets defense for keeping them afloat for a possible Rodgers return, one in which rumors are swirling could be much earlier than anticipated due to his incredible rehab success.
“The team itself isn't a bad team, obviously injuries are slowly depleting the team which has worsened the performance. Zach Wilson has had a better season than he has in the past. It's a gritty team that can win a few games and keep the ship afloat until Rodgers comes back” said James Bosslet, a junior criminology major and Jets fan on campus.
Following the bye week, the Jets have three favorable games ahead of them against the Giants, Chargers, and Raiders, all teams with sub .500 records. Zach Wilson will try to bolster his team along with his defense to keep the Jets alive for a possible postseason run.
The cross-town Eagles came into Week 7 off their very first loss of the season after being silenced by the Jets, a game where Jalen Hurts threw three interceptions to Gang Green in New York.
Philadelphia also entered the hardest stretch for any team in the NFL in terms of scheduling with eight of their next nine games being against playoff teams from last season.
They started that stretch with a bang as they comfortably cruised over the visiting 5-1 Miami Dolphins. The Phins offense has been notorious in the early season, ranking in the very top of the league in scoring and yards gained.
With a struggling Philadelphia secondary, Miami looked to add to those stats, but the Eagles were ready.
The Eagles held Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to only 216 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Eagles rookie cornerback Eli Ricks was tasked with the duty of covering speedy wideout Tyreek Hill, where he recorded a crucial pass deflection while his veteran counterpart Darious Slay recorded two more pass deflections and one interception.
The Eagles again capitalized and brought more attention to their version of the quarterback sneak, the “tush push.” The Eagles used the play four times on crucial short yardage situations and once for a touchdown which once again raised the conversation whether the play should be banned.
“It's beautiful, everyone hates it because they can't replicate or stop it,” said Joe Cipolla, a junior technology and education major and an Eagles fan on campus.
“It helps when you have a quarterback that can squat over 600 pounds”
“People can't do it like we can do it,” said Eagles head coach Nick Siriann in his postgame interview. “Don't ban this play. If everybody could do it, everybody would.”
The Eagles play in Washington next week with high hopes and confidence to continue to attack this difficult stretch.
