The Giants and Jets christened the New Meadowlands Stadium on Monday night, playing the first ever football game there, with Big Blue coming away with a 31–16 victory.
The Jets wanted to make a statement of this game since it was their home opener and their swaggering “D” dominated for the better part of three quarters. But, the Giants played the spoiler and did it with help from a very unexpected source—Patterson, NJ native, rookie free-agent receiver out of UMass, Victor Cruz, who finished the game with three touchdowns and 6 receptions for 145 yards.
The Giants got on the board first after newly acquired safety Antrel Rolle picked off Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez at 13:08 in the first quarter and returned it 50 yards to the Jets 1 yard-line. A few plays later, running back Brandon Jacobs pounded the ball into the end zone from the right side giving the Jints a 7–0 lead after Lawrence Tynes connected for the extra point.
Gang Green came right back though on the next series, going 14 plays for 96 yards before receiver Brad Smith caught a 4-yard pass from Sanchez on the left side for the touchdown.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Giants endured a setback after the Jets blocked a Matt Dodge punt deep in Giants territory and settled for a 36-yard field goal.
At 3rd-and-1 at 11:08 in the second quarter, however, the G-Men were dealt a serious scare after Eli Manning was hit behind the line of scrimmage and suffered a three-inch laceration on his forehead, requiring stitches.
Lawrence Tynes kicked a 14-yarder for the Giants shortly after Manning’s injury, evening things up for a short while before Jets kicker Nick Folk connected on a 22-yarder giving his team a 13–10 lead heading into halftime.
After another 36-yard field goal by Folk at 8:41 in the third quarter, the Giants got the play of the game from Victor Cruz who made a spectacular one-handed catch over Jets corner Dwight Lowry and ran it down the left side of the field for a 64-yard touchdown at 2:29.
Cruz made another great play at 12:27 in the fourth quarter, beating Jets corner Drew Coleman for a 34-yard touchdown catch.
Cruz caught his third touchdown of the game, a 5-yard catch on the right side of the end zone at 2:24 in the fourth quarter.
In addition to Cruz, rookie defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul also impressed Giants fans, sacking Mark Sanchez in the second quarter and playing with a high motor throughout the game.
The Jets wanted to make a statement of this game since it was their home opener and their swaggering “D” dominated for the better part of three quarters. But, the Giants played the spoiler and did it with help from a very unexpected source—Patterson, NJ native, rookie free-agent receiver out of UMass, Victor Cruz, who finished the game with three touchdowns and 6 receptions for 145 yards.
The Giants got on the board first after newly acquired safety Antrel Rolle picked off Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez at 13:08 in the first quarter and returned it 50 yards to the Jets 1 yard-line. A few plays later, running back Brandon Jacobs pounded the ball into the end zone from the right side giving the Jints a 7–0 lead after Lawrence Tynes connected for the extra point.
Gang Green came right back though on the next series, going 14 plays for 96 yards before receiver Brad Smith caught a 4-yard pass from Sanchez on the left side for the touchdown.
With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Giants endured a setback after the Jets blocked a Matt Dodge punt deep in Giants territory and settled for a 36-yard field goal.
At 3rd-and-1 at 11:08 in the second quarter, however, the G-Men were dealt a serious scare after Eli Manning was hit behind the line of scrimmage and suffered a three-inch laceration on his forehead, requiring stitches.
Lawrence Tynes kicked a 14-yarder for the Giants shortly after Manning’s injury, evening things up for a short while before Jets kicker Nick Folk connected on a 22-yarder giving his team a 13–10 lead heading into halftime.
After another 36-yard field goal by Folk at 8:41 in the third quarter, the Giants got the play of the game from Victor Cruz who made a spectacular one-handed catch over Jets corner Dwight Lowry and ran it down the left side of the field for a 64-yard touchdown at 2:29.
Cruz made another great play at 12:27 in the fourth quarter, beating Jets corner Drew Coleman for a 34-yard touchdown catch.
Cruz caught his third touchdown of the game, a 5-yard catch on the right side of the end zone at 2:24 in the fourth quarter.
In addition to Cruz, rookie defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul also impressed Giants fans, sacking Mark Sanchez in the second quarter and playing with a high motor throughout the game.
