NIAGARA FALLS, NY: Happy Monday, So this was the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which took up the weekend and all that’s been said. I don’t feel like saying much more about it—let’s just leave it as the tragedy we all recognize it to be. Moving on to today’s topics, we’re going to look at the Mets weekend review and talk football with the three New York State teams.
NY Mets Week in Review
After sweeping—(wait, they went on a win streak?!), which is usually what they do before they lose—the Mets ended up losing two of three to the Yankees. I haven’t paid attention to the Yankees. I didn’t know 95% of their roster. And they really looked good against the Mets, getting a lot of clutch hits off the Mets’ pitchers, who are supposed to be tough.
I mean, the Mets did one of the most insane classic Mets things: had a six-run inning, went up 8-0, blew it, got tied 8-8, then managed another six-run inning and almost blew it again, winning 15-14. But they brought that positive energy to the Bronx, and it was very clear that the Yankees are a playoff team for a reason.
The Yankee pitching over the weekend, especially on Friday and Sunday, really held the Mets at bay. The Mets’ stars just couldn’t get the clutch hits or move the guy from second to third in the two losses, and that was the difference. I mean, these were huge games, things like 4-3 and 2-0, but when the Yankees needed an out, they got it, and when they needed a hit, they got it.
13 games left. The Mets are only 11 games under .500. Will they get a hot streak to actually get them to .500? Probably not—or not even probably, definitely. Might as well watch it to the end – I’ve suffered this much.
Let’s start with my team. Wow, let’s break up the Jets already. They looked impressive and dominant against the team they’re expected to beat. But you know, the Jets have been terrible and the Titans are terrible too, so you never know.
Aaron Glenn is in his second year with the Jets, and Robert Saleh with his first head coaching job—makes sense. Geno Smith is looking like the quarterback the Jets thought they were getting when they drafted him. It took a long way to come back home.
But the Jets offense was crisp and sharp and physical. They ran a lot of two-tight-end sets. The Jets defense looked stout in pass coverage, and the most impressive thing was the defense stopped the run and the offense was able to run for 100 yards. It’s a balanced attack, a beautiful thing to watch.
Buffalo Bills
I don’t think the Bills can get away with this kind of close game all season. They got themselves into one hell of a shootout in Houston. It revealed everything that you like: a lot of touchdowns, a lot of crazy passes, and big players making big plays.
Josh Allen did his thing, running around and making plays that you’d never advise a young kid at home to learn to do. C.J. Stroud threw a bunch of touchdowns, and their offense seemed to really have the defense’s number. But with a few seconds left in the game, Buffalo’s defense dug in and forced a turnover, and that turnover turned out to be the difference in the game. The Bills win it.
New York Giants
I’d hate to be Dallas playing the Giants on September 11th weekend. The Jints were led out by some firefighters and others, which gave the Giants an emotional edge from the start. Add that John Harbaugh is a good coach. I was also impressed to see some of the players – I didn’t even realize Isaiah Likely was on the Giants. – It made sense,though, because I saw Bellinger, the Giants’ tight end from last year, playing with Tennessee when I watched the Jets game.
But yeah, when you factor in the Giants’ wide receivers led by Malik Nabers, and you’ve got a solid backfield, they’re offensively harmful. But Jackson Dart has to play a little better. The Giants came a lot on defense to make Dallas’s life hard, and Dallas wasn’t able to score. But they still just weren’t able to get the defensive stops when they needed them.
Somewhere along the way, there was a pass interference or face mask call—it just seemed like the team that was messier. And even moments like that decided the Giants’ victory.
Come back tomorrow for The Big Aristotle.
