Before the New York Jets joined the NFL via merger half a century ago, Wellington Mara demanded $10 million. The New York Giants owner made sure he got paid for welcoming a rival into the market. When the clubs clashed for the first time in exhibition play in 1969, Jets legend Joe Namath tossed three touchdown passes and the Giants' blowout defeat got their coach fired.
Momentum swung when the rivalry resumed in 1970. Irked by being stopped on fourth down at the Jets goal line, Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton chucked the ball at a linebacker and sparked a fight that cleared the benches. The Giants forced a safety on the next series and Tarkenton threw for two TDs within the quarter, sealing victory.
"You've got to be champions of your own neighborhood before you try to conquer the world," Mara crowed to reporters postgame, per the Associated Press.
The Giants and Jets don't face off much, but proximity and pettiness enliven their encounters. The Jets hung black curtains inside MetLife Stadium in 2011 to conceal their co-tenant's Super Bowl logos. The Giants won that year's Christmas Eve game – Brandon Jacobs and Rex Ryan traded F-bombs at midfield afterward instead of shaking hands – and they lead the all-time series 8-6.
Playing in opposite conferences and the same home building, the New York teams have traveled parallel paths in recent seasons. Both were prolific losers for the longest time. Both are trending skyward in 2022.
The Giants are 6-1 and sit second in the NFC East, football's strongest division. The 5-2 Jets haven't let the Buffalo Bills run away with the AFC East lead. The market that appeared in one postseason in the past 10 years – the Giants went one-and-done in 2016 – is unbeaten in October.
Recent history conditioned fans to not expect this. The franchise that Namath quarterbacked to a famous Super Bowl triumph reached the conference title game under Ryan but has yet to return to the playoffs. Joe Judge's brief run as Giants coach ended when he dialed up a QB sneak on third-and-9. But head coaches Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll are guiding New York out of the wilderness this season.
Similarities between the Giants and Jets explain their hot starts.
They lean on stars. Cornerstone players drafted in the top five recently have elevated the Giants' run game and the Jets' defense. Saquon Barkley leads the NFL in touches and has amassed 906 yards from scrimmage – 99 more than Nick Chubb, the league's rushing leader. Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender (league-high 12 passes defended), while nose tackle Quinnen Williams has five sacks and an elite 90.1 PFF grade.