The Derby New York Deserves

Whenever the Jets play the Giants, there is always pride on the line, but apart from preseason, it rarely happens.

Eastern Standard Time Sunday morning, Manchester City made their moniker "Noisy Neighbors" louder than ever. With a 3-0 defeat of Manchester United at the Theater of Dreams, and just days after the passing of club legend Bobby Charlton, the soccer pendulum won't be swinging United's way any time soon. The next Manchester Derby will take place in March 2024. Both sets of fans will have the date marked on their calendars. A lot could change between now and then, but the gap in quality between red and blue Manchester is now more of a crevasse than a crack. 

Meanwhile, here in New York, N.F.L. fans were treated to a rare derby of their own. Due to the nature of the seasonal schedule, the New York Jets and the New York Giants only play each other in the regular season once every four years. Fans of both teams will be quick to point out the habitual preseason game played every year between both teams, but as quickly as they inform, they will also disregard the game's importance in the season.

Success separates the two teams (the Giants have won two Superbowls to the Jets' none), but their stadium address is shared. Both teams occupy Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All season long, when one is at home, the other plays away. The Giants and the Jets have only played each other 15 times since 1970. The Giants hold an 8-7 record over the Jets, who they haven't managed to beat since 2011.

This season has been a turbulent one for both teams. The Giants have not looked like they will improve on their 9-7-1 record of last year. They show no sign of catching the division-leading and Superbowl hopefuls, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets had an offseason to remember after the Aaron Rodgers trade saga. The "will-he-won't-he" back and forth lasted longer than his season as a Jet as he unfortunately tore his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of his first game. That hasn't stopped the Jets from playing some great football, but it leaves fans with an ambiguous definition of success this season. In a game that didn't seem to matter, fans of both teams did what New Yorkers in the city, the metro area, and the whole state do best: they took everything personally.

You wouldn't have thought both teams were closer to the bottom of their respective divisions than the top based on the smack talk online and on the radio. Giants fans quickly reminded the Jets of their limited playoff appearances and their tendency to over-celebrate small victories. Jet fans finally felt enough pride in their team to argue that their near future looks much brighter and bolder than their city rivals.

Wait, can we call them rivals?

Is there a "nosy neighbor" in this story? Is it the Jets for not having a Superbowl win? Is it the Giants for their white dwarf stars next to talents like Sauce Gardener or Garret Wilson? It has all the makings of an excellent derby atmosphere. Two teams in one city, sharing a stadium, playing for pride more than points, bringing up sore spots of trophies and season-ending injuries, asking, "Who would you rather have?" of both squads, and finally, jarring at each other in text, tweet, and talk radio.

Why, then? Is this a four-year affair? 

Major League Soccer has created a whole week just for rivalries. They see the value in bigger games all being played at once instead of strewn out across a several-month-long schedule. Yes, it's easy to say there are drawbacks to that decision, but no one will argue that a derby is a derby. If Barcelona and Real Madrid played each other 36 times a season, no one would complain.

Even when teams aren't at full strength, or when it's clear there is a better side, the current Manchester City to the estranged Manchester United, for example, it still gives us great insight and keeps our eyes glued from kick-off to full-time. Perhaps it is also these games that make rivals work harder. What if the players had to answer to fans enduring teasing at the office on Monday? What if coaches had to throw form out the window for a Derby Day win? What if owners had to fight for fans on the field instead of followers online? 

I'm aware these teams do have traditional rivals. I know some games matter more. But if the Texans always played the Cowboys, the Rams always played the Chargers, the Browns always played the Bengals, the Commanders always played the Ravens, the Bucks always played the Dolphins or Jaguars, and the Giants always played the Jets...wouldn't it be more fun?

In the end, the game was chaos. There were multiple injuries, as many punts as first downs, and overtime to ensure bragging rights in a season that feels like a bad hand for both teams. Despite the drawbacks, it had the mark of a classic, a Battle of the Buffet or Lasangagate. It's a shame we won't have another installment until 2027. For now, the noisy neighbors retreat into their adjacent houses and refocus their attention on more critical parts of the block.