Here’s how big Sunday’s Jets-Saints game is: Not only is it the latest biggest game of Mark Sanchez’s career — his third in four weeks — it’s the game Giants fans should be most concerned with this weekend, too. For the Jets, of course, it’s another game against a potential Super Bowl contender, but this time they’re on the road, away from the roar of the Meadowlands they benefited from against New England. If the Jets win, they establish themselves as a legitimate contender, and not just an early-season feel-good story. (Though Filip Bondy reminded us yesterday that they also started 4-0 under Al Groh in 2000, lest any fans were feeling too good.)
But with the Giants playing the Chiefs this weekend — the second of three consecutive games they have no business losing — the Jets-Saints matchup should act as something of a preview of their game at the Superdome on October 18. Like the Giants, the Jets are a good defensive team who will try to apply pressure to Drew Brees. And the Jets are every bit as confident as the Giants this year, though they are a bit more comfortable saying it out loud.
We’ll know a lot more about Rex Ryan’s team on Monday than we do today. More likely than not, we won’t know much more about the Giants. But at least we’ll know what they’re in for.