The New York Giants (7-7) will take on the New York Jets (8-6) at MetLife Stadium on Christmas Eve in a battle to determine the Big Apple's best while adding some clarity to the NFL playoff picture.
Both teams desperately need to win on Saturday. The Jets currently sit in the AFC's final wild card spot, while the Giants trail the Dallas Cowboys by one game for the NFC East lead.
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
When: Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011, 1:00 p.m. ET
Watch: FOX
Spread
NY Jets -3 over NY Giants, according to footballlocks.com. This is a solid spread given how even both teams are. Both have proven time and again to be incredibly inconsistent, and both have significant short-comings on both sides of the ball. There is no definitive home-field advantage here, so the 8-6 Jets deserve the slight edge as favorites.
Over/Under
45.5, according to footballlocks.com. This line is too low. Both defenses have had surprisingly down years, and that should make for a rather high-scoring affair Saturday afternoon. The Jets (24.7 points per game) score slightly more than the Giants (23.9 points per game), while both squads rank in the bottom 12 in scoring defense, allowing more than 22 points per game by the opposition.
Key Injuries
NY Giants
RB D.J. Ware (knee), doubtful. Ware did not practice on Thursday according to ESPN.com and the New York Daily News.
TE Jake Ballard (knee), doubtful. Ballard has a PCL injury and did not practice on Thursday according to ESPN.com and the New York Daily News.
WR Mario Manningham (knee), questionable. Manningham did not practice on Thursday according to ESPN.com and the Newark Star-Ledger.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot), questionable. Bradshaw did not practice on Thursday according to ESPN.com and the Newark Star-Ledger.
NY Jets
RB Joe McKnight (shoulder), questionable. McKnight will be a game-time decision in week 16 according to ESPN.com and the New York Daily News.
Fantasy Big Plays
Plaxico Burress: Burress is an entirely different monster at home, where he catches touchdowns a plenty. Burress is tied with WR Santonio Holmes for most receiving TDs on the team (eight), and consider that the Giants rank 29th in the league defending the pass. This matchup has all the makings to produce a huge fantasy day from the former Giants WR.
Ahmad Bradshaw/Brandon Jacobs: With RB D.J. Ware likely out with a bad knee, Bradshaw and Jacobs should form a two-headed monster in the Giants back field, and punish the Jets mediocre, 16th-ranked rush defense, which is allowing nearly 113 yards on the ground per game this season. The league's 32-ranked rushing offense has nowhere to go but up in week 16.
Keys to Giants Win
The key for the NY Giants to keep their playoff hopes alive on Christmas Eve lies in the running game. It has failed them all season long; they average just 86 rushing yards per game in 2011, and Eli Manning (15 interceptions and six fumbles) has shown thus far through 14 games that he can't always make up for the lack of a ground threat. If Jacobs and Bradshaw can get rolling and allow Manning to test the Jets secondary with the Giants gifted wideouts, the NY Giants will be successful.
Keys to Jets Win
The NY Jets defense has hardly been Rex Ryan's proudest work this season, but it will be key to a Jets win on Saturday. Mark Sanchez and the offense have ways to go before they will be championship caliber; it currently ranks 21st in passing and rushing.
If the Jets D can force multiple turnovers and allow RB Shonn Greene to add to his 941 yards, the Jets will be one win away from locking up a playoff berth.
Prediction
The Jets turned the ball over four times last week and the Giants turned it over three times; both lost by double-digits. Only one can bounce back, and neither team is truly playing at home. In such an even game, the team with the better record gets the nod.
NY Jets 34, Giants 31
zach Parise bryce Salvador Wade Belak Martin Erat Marcel Goc Jamie Lundmark
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