What a Sunday it was in the Meadowlands. I had a great time traveling up to New York and plan to go back next year. It was the third NFL stadium I have ever traveled to and wow that place blows FedEx out of the water. I will say my standards for stadiums are quite low thanks to our place. The opposing fans were hospitable for the most part. I had a friend who sat next to a fan who was less than welcoming. He had some choice words regarding our quarterback which are better kept off this blog. We had a Skin’s fan rolling down the bleachers while talking shit to Giants’ fans. Safe to say that guy did not have the best week at work. That’s a lesson to not drink too much at sporting events because anything stupid you do will get caught on camera and posted all over the internet nowadays.
After a nearly stress free game, we are officially 7-2 for the first time since 1996 making it the first time of my life. We are the first team this year to surpass their season win total. Vegas had us booked at 6.5 wins. Our current live wins total sits at 11.5. Might be worth taking your winnings and rolling it over because I firmly believe this team is getting to 12. Jayden became the first rookie to beat the Giants twice in a single season. We have the fewest turnovers through 9 games of any team since 1933. We are 7-1-1 against the spread. Jayden is the first rookie QB to start 5-0 ATS when favored since 2000. The only word worthy of describing this team right now is wagon.
Before I get into anything, I just want to state how much more enjoyable these blogs have been to write this year compared to last. It’s been a lot of fun going from one of the worst to best teams in the league in such a short period of time. Last year, I was grasping at straws trying to convince myself Sam Howell was the guy on a weekly basis. We were selling at the deadline. The defense was the worst in the league. There was absolutely no hope whatsoever for this team. It took one year for everything to change. I don’t understand how you can’t consider us as America’s’ team at the moment after everything we’ve been through. Even JD and Noah’s Hail Mary memorabilia has already been placed in Canton. We are witnessing a season that will go down in history.
Around this time last year, we were sellers at the deadline. We had parted ways with two previous first round picks who were once the focal points of the roster. The towel had been thrown in and we were already playing for draft picks. This trade deadline was a little bit different. For the first time in who knows how long, we were buyers. On Tuesday, Adam Peters made a big move trading for Marshon Lattimore to be our number one cornerback. This trade exemplifies the fact that this team is in win now mode. We went out and grabbed the best player available at the position we needed most. Adam stayed consistent with his short and long term approach. Marshon is 28 years old with a few more seasons on his contract. He will be the number one corner in DC while our Super Bowl window is open.
Our defense immediately got better with Marshon. Since entering the league, he has been one of the best corners. He has the ability to shutdown entire sides of the field. Yes, he does have a history riddled with injuries. He has not played a full season since 2021. However, he very well might be a better option with one good hamstring than BSJ or Forbes with two. I do expect his hamstring injury to magically heal now that’s no longer playing for a 2-7 team but we will see. It is amazing knowing we no longer have to watch BSJ attempt to guard opposing teams #1 wide receivers. Marshon plays with the attitude corners need to succeed. I recommend watching the videos of him and Mike Evans going at it. It is the equivalent of Odell and Josh Norman from back in the day. I am very excited to watch him lockdown AJ, Ceedee, and Malik for the years to come. I expect beef to arise between one of those three and it’s going to be fun to watch when it happens.
The trade put together for him is a massive win in my eyes. We traded Jahan Dotson to grab an extra third round pick. We traded John Ridgeway to the Saints for a 6th prior to the season. Peters manipulated the draft capital from those trades and parlayed it into giving away essentially one draft pick for Lattimore. The best part about it is the fact we held onto the higher of the two third round picks. Everyone should be rooting against the Dolphins because the worse they are the better our third round pick. Front office competency is such a great thing to see. We had a need. They went out and addressed it at an appropriate price while maintaining our future. In the past, I could see this team selling the house and then some for him. But not this group. The days of bad trades and drafting are past us in DC.
Now that I’ve touched on the off field stuff, I can get into the game that took place Sunday. We finally exorcised the demon known as the Giants owning us. We took care of business in both games for the first time since 2021. It was a very stress free game until the 50 yard touchdown brought it to one score. Up until that point, I never had any worries regarding this one. The Giants came in with the game plan to run the ball and keep our offense off the field. I’ll say the plan was working well until Dante Fowler’s strip sack got them playing from behind. Chinn also had an awesome game. If not for the strip sack, he would have absolutely been the player of the game on that side of the ball.
They didn’t even get Nabers a single target until the second half. Definitely an interesting strategy to not give your star player the ball until the 3rd quarter. It’s clear Daboll has zero trust in Jones to air it out. I will say he did look good as a runner. We managed to let him throw his first touchdown at MetLife in over 600 days. I saw that one coming when the stat kept showing up week after week. We were due for an insult stat. I’m very okay with it being a single touchdown thrown on our defense. I can’t give them too much credit, but they got the job done.
JD thankfully didn’t get hurt on the notorious turf. He was decisive and played as we’ve come to expect. When the offense needed a play, he hit OZ to put the game away. He found Terry in the endzone twice putting together as efficient of a statline as they come for pass catchers. He used his legs only when he needed to and took zero sacks. It’s been very comforting watching him settle in and not look to run the ball as much. Torward the end of the game, there seemed to be multiple opportunities where he could’ve kept it on options and ran for positive yards. I’m really not a fan of the designed runs so I’m all for him handing it off in those situations. He was awarded rookie of the week for the 7th time this year. I’m really starting to wish I placed more than $20 on the OROY wager. At this point, it’s his award to lose.
The offense hummed its way through the first half. It’s safe to say Terry now owns Banks. I know he’s a Terp so I’ll tone down my commentary a good deal. However, if you’re going to talk the talk and say things on social media, then you have to back it up on the field. He’s given up the most touchdowns of any corner this whole season. It was great seeing Terry stare him down after getting him for the second time of the game. The run game without BRob was solid. Ekeler is as serviceable of an RB2 as they come. It definitely helps when you have an offensive line that is playing like one of the best units in the league. Especially when going up against the Giants’ defensive line which is no joke whatsoever. All in all, we covered and didn’t follow up the best play in DC history with a dud for a performance. Every person I talk to continues to call every game a trap game. I don’t know if I can emphasize enough that I truly dont believe in those anymore as long as JD is at quarterback. As stated in the title of the blog, we are a wagon.
To get into the game this weekend, we are looking at the highest priced regular season tickets in recent memory. It is $200+ just to get into the stadium. We all know Pittsburgh is going to travel well and pay the price of admission. Hopefully, our fans do the same and keep the stupid gold towels to a minimum. We are going up against the exact opposite of ourselves. Arguably the best defense in the league led by a future hall of famer in TJ Watt along with a lackluster offense. To say I am worried about TJ is an understatement. He is the epitome of a game wrecker. Kingsbury said it best in an interview this week. “If we leave one play where he’s not accounted for, that’s the play he can change a game.” We’re going to need to give him the Myles Garrett treatment and do everything possible to keep him uninvolved. Every Steelers game goes the same way. It gets to the 4th quarter in a low scoring, one possession game where TJ strip sacks the quarterback and puts it away. Let’s not be on the receiving end of that this Sunday.
The difference in this game will be getting out to a fast start and playing from ahead. Their offense is not built for shootouts. It very well could be against our defense. Ideally, we put up points early and keep our foot on the gas so we won’t have to worry about what I stated above. They are built to grind out and win close games. Playing into their hand could easily lead to a loss. To be fair, we haven’t had many of those games yet this year. Would it be good to see how this team manages one of them? Yes, it absolutely would be. However, I would much rather us blow them out and move onto Philly.
To get into the bets, I think it would be a wise use of money to bet on BRob anytime, Terry’s yards, and Noah Brown yards. Ideally, we will have BRob back for this game. Against a defense like this, we might need him. Terry and Noah have emerged as JD’s favorite targets. Whenever we get into the redzone, you know JD is looking in Terry’s direction. A Terry touchdown is another great bet. Knowing the game script Pittsburgh typically plays, I do not love the over in this one. For the first touchdown, I believe Luke McCaffrey is due to finally get in the endzone. I really just hope he can get the first one of his career, but the odds on him to start the game is a lot more fun. Lastly, we will cover the spread. I won’t be taking any alternate lines like last weekend. I am confident this week but not as much as last blog. I know we are a better team than Pittsburgh. It is just a matter of taking care of the ball and limiting the impact of a single player.
These next two games could very much decide if we win the division. It would be massive to get a win before walking into Philadelphia on a short week next Thursday night. I believe this team is more than capable of getting this one taken care of. The continuation of the home field advantage will be huge. I love how the stadium is giving out burgundy towels to create a sea of red and gold. It is very courteous of the other fans to bring their owns towels. I plan to be at FedEx this weekend to watch us bring one home. Wishing everyone a great weekend. Good luck in life and in gambling. Looking forward to writing back after the win.
Photo Credit: Seth Wenig – staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS