By Eddie Castro
The wait is finally over. This past weekend, the 2025-26 NFL season for both the Jets and Giants kicked off. Both franchises are looking to improve from their lackluster seasons a year ago in which both teams finished third and last place in their respective divisions. Both teams also elected to move on from their starting quarterbacks from last year in hopes of providing a fresh start. Now if you are a true genuine and realistic fan of either the Jets or Giants, you know going into this season, the playoffs are possibly a long shot. The objective for the New York Football teams is will the change made by both teams help them solidify a new culture moving forward?
The Giants began their season against a dangerous Washington commanders team lead by their 2nd-year quarterback Jaden Daniels. Quarterback Russell Wilson made his Giants debut in hopes of lifting a Giants team to more signature moments than they did last year. For the third straight year, Big Blue had a poor showing in Washington and were held without a touchdown for the third consecutive season opener.
Despite multiple opportunities to score, the Giants were only able to put up two field goals in a 21-6 defeat. Now it’s easy for fans to go on a rant after one game and say that perhaps Wilson, who without a doubt will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he decides to hang it up, no longer has that magic he did in his Seattle days. The fact of the matter is, with how the team’s offensive line played yesterday, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen could make a call to Tom Brady himself, and they would not have much success.
Wilson was pressured by Washington’s defense all afternoon long. An offense that featured several dropped passes by receivers, tight ends and running backs, it made the game even longer for the team’s offense that only managed to put up a total offense of 231 yards (168 passing and 63 rushing). The Giants defense didn’t make things better as they gave a total of 220 rushing yards on 32 attempts.
As for the New York Jets, the team welcomed a familiar face as Aaron Rodgers returned to MetLife Stadium in Pittsburgh Steelers black and gold. In what was a back-and-forth affair for most of the game, Rodgers was able to get the best against his former team, dishing out 4 touchdowns in a 34-32 victory. There is some positive takeaways for the Jets despite the loss. New Head Coach Aaron Glenn repeatedly said he wanted to get the running game to be a part of the team’s identity. The team had a total of 394 offensive yards with 182 coming with the run. The Jets also had a new quarterback making his team debut in Justin Fields. In his first game as a Jet Fields was impressive completing 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and threw a touchdown. He Also rushed for 48 yards and scored two touchdowns. A costly turnover and a few miscues contributed to the Jets not able to secure the win.
It’s just one game in a long season. There is a lot of football left to be played to see just what the Giants and Jets identity is going to be this year. For the Giants, a big concern is being able to protect Russell Wilson. The offense line seems completely lost without their line anchor Andrew Thomas, is working his way back from off-season foot surgery from last year. For the Jets, the question is can they be that consistent on the offense line and clean up the costly turnovers? We shall see what Week 2 holds for both New York teams.
Sports Notes: (Baseball) The Yankees wrap up a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers tonight. The team will head to Boston for a huge weekend three game set against the Red Sox. The Mets wrap up a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight. The team will head back to Queens and welcome the Texas Rangers for a three-game set beginning tomorrow.