The New York Giants and Jets will meet again tonight in their preseason finale games. Despite being just a preseason matchup and not many starters will suit up on both sides at MetLife Stadium, these two teams also give us a great game. The “Snoopy Bowl” as it has been called over the years will kick off on Saturday night at the Meadowlands beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Again, despite this game being just a preseason game with many backups on the field for both New York squads, there have been some memorable moments for the Giants in particular in these games that many probably have not realized. So, what are those memorable moments the Giants have had in the preseason against their preseason rivals?
Victor Cruz’s Breakout Game
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The Giants signing of undrafted wide receiver Victor Cruz was probably one of the best moves the franchise made during this particular period. Despite going undrafted out of the University of Massachusetts, this preseason game certainly put his name on notice.
On August 16, 2010, the Giants were taking on the New York Jets as the road team and Cruz at the time was a rookie wide receiver who was just fighting to have a roster spot. And this game was certainly the start of something special for the “Salsa King” as Cruz scorched the Jets defense as he had six catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns with one of those touchdowns being a 64-yard catch.
Cruz also put up another great game against these very Jets just over a year later on Christmas Eve in the regular season. During the 2011 season, he had a 99-yard touchdown that helped propel the Giants to not only win the game but clinch the NFC East and Super Bowl Championship.
Despite playing in just three games during the 2010 season with no catches or yards to show, Cruz went on to have two 1,000-yard seasons for the Giants in his six seasons in New York before injuries took a toll on him as the Giants released him after the 2016 season. He was certainly a fan favorite and this preseason game he had on Monday Night Football, 14 years ago was a memorable one indeed.
Daniel Jones’ First Preseason Game
On August 8, 2019, rookie quarterback Daniel Jones at the time was set to appear in his first live preseason game action since being drafted by the New York Giants with the sixth overall pick. This was a much-anticipated debut for Jones since at the time, many people were criticizing this draft pick the Giants made. But in this preseason game against the Jets, Jones showed promise on his first and only series of the night.
After Eli Manning played in just one series to start the game, it was Jones’ turn and he played well which seemed to calm some nerves. Jones went a perfect five for five on the drive for “Big Blue” passed for 67 yards and had a 12-yard touchdown pass to wideout Bennie Fowler.
Jones had a solid preseason showing in 2019 as he had 416 passing yards in the four games that he played, had two passing touchdowns, completed over 85% of his passes, and had a quarterback rating of 137.3. While Jones has yet to find consistency in the NFL and injuries and turnovers have been a common theme for the now sixth-year quarterback, Jones certainly proved some d0ubters in his first preseason game against the Jets.
Promising Giants Running Back Has an Explosive Touchdown
The Giants thought they had someone special in running back David Wilson they drafted him with their first-round pick during the 2012 Draft. Despite having a fumbling issue, Wilson was explosive and dangerous during his rookie season, especially when he set a franchise record with the most all-purpose yards in a game against the New Orleans Saints during a Week 14 matchup in 2012. Wilson also used that explosiveness in this preseason game as well against the Jets in 2013.
Against the Jets on August 24, 2013, Wilson had a breakout game as in the first quarter and pinned back inside their territory, the running back had an 84-yard touchdown run to get the scoring started for the Giants. Despite losing to the Jets in overtime, the Giants still saw just how special he could be for them.
Unfortunately, injuries took a toll on his NFL career as in just the fifth game of the 2013 season, Wilson suffered a neck injury which turned out to be spinal stenosis. While he tried to make a comeback the following season during training camp, doctors advised him to retire from football and that’s what he did. While it would have been great to see Wilson show off his full potential as an NFL running back, this game, we saw just that.
