Now Antonio Cromartie will be tasked with covering Odell Beckham Jr., who should have a field day against the Jets’ No. 2 corner.
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New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) stiff-arms New York Giants’ Prince Amukamara during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. Sure, he “made up for it” with a great fourth down conversion afterwards, but his penalty leaves many wondering: what if they Giants gained 20 yards without that five yard penalty, and Josh Brown was left kicking a 43-yard field goal rather than a 48?
Many will likely second guess Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, who chose to go for the jugular on a fourth-and-two from the Jets 4-yard line in the fourth quarter, which resulted in Eli Manning getting picked off. Those three points could have come in handy when the Jets surged back. They will remain tied for the NFC East lead if the Eagles and Redskins lose this weekend.
Fitzpatrick said of clicking with Decker for four straight passes in the fourth quarter, “The defense they were playing and the way were on the ball hurrying it up and lining that up we just had to exploit that area of the field”. “So we’re up 17”.
“I don’t know if it’s a playoff turning point, but I hope we grew up a little bit from this game”, Bowles said.
“He was showing faith in us and that’s what you want”, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said.
There wasn’t any time in Sunday’s game when the Jets could feel comfortable, unless they looked big-picture and recalled whose coaching staff was on the opposite sideline.
“This is a statement game for us, as far as coming from behind and winning one”, said receiver Eric Decker (eight catches, 101 yards). They’ve shown they can play and beat very good teams, but also showed how they can get really bad. “We finally got to that point and I’m just happy it was today”. He finished with 390 passing yards, attempting 50 and completing 36. Three Jets surrounded him, but Beckham split them and then outsprinted them to the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown.
WR Brandon Marshall on what he said to Fitzpatrick before the Giants’ overtime field goal try…
“There was a lot of stuff that needed to happen there in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter”, Fitzpatrick said. It’s something we can’t dwell on.
Not a problem. With the Giants facing a fourth-and-7, Manning dropped back and calmly hit Beckham for a 20-yard gain to keep the drive alive.
Travis Coons kicked a 47-yard field goal for the Browns on the final pay of the first half.
With that return, Harris became the third Giants player in franchise history, and the first since Jimmy Patton in 1955, to record touchdowns on both a punt return and kickoff return.
HURTING LINEBACKERS: Second-year linebacker Devon Kennard has been the Giants’ best player on defense and he comes into the game battling a hamstring injury.
A 45-yard pass to tight end Will Tye set up Brown for a 35-yard field goal before halftime. Fitzpatrick tossed four touchdowns and Chris Ivory returned to his normal self rushing for 87 yards on 21 carries to go along with a hard-fought touchdown. Ereck Flowers hurt his ankle and was carted off. Still awaiting the diagnosis, but seeing the cart is never a good sign.
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The Jets had Mo Wilkerson benched for the first quarter because he was late to a meeting, showing Bowles’ penchant for discipline, but the team got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct as well.
