Jets takeaways from Saturday’s 32-24 win over Giants, including Aaron Rodgers' successful debut

The Jets defeated the Giants, 32-24, on Saturday night, but the final outcome was less important than each team’s preparation ahead of the first regular-season games in two weeks.

With most of their starters being rested, the Giants were overmatched on both sides of the ball in the early stages of Saturday evening’s game, as the Jets starters used the first few series as a dress rehearsal for their season. Many of those starters were seeing action for the first time in preseason and they’ll be satisfied with their day’s work.

Most of the attention, of course, was on Aaron Rodgers, who was making his first appearance in a Jets uniform, and he didn’t disappoint, leading the Jets downfield for the opening touchdown on a timing route to Garrett Wilson.

The Jets starters on defense also made life hard for the Giants’ backups before exiting the game in the middle of the first quarter. Rodgers departed after his touchdown throw but some other starters including the entire offensive line stayed in until the end of the first quarter.

The Jets increased their lead to 14-0 on a Brandin Echols interception return but the Giants hit back with a 14-play drive that ended with a short Jashaun Corbin touchdown run midway through the second quarter, then tacked on a pair of Graham Gano field goals to make it 14-13 at the half.

After an exchange of field goals, the Jets extended their lead to 25-16 as Tim Boyle found Alex Erickson with a short touchdown pass and then hit Jason Brownlee on the two-point conversion. They then widened their lead to 16 with another touchdown connection from Boyle to Erickson. Tommy DeVito’s 30-yard touchdown pass to David Sills and a two-point conversion in the last minute provided the final margin.

Here are some takeaways...

-  It was surreal to see Rodgers in a Jets uniform and he looked sharp. It’s clear Wilson will probably be his favorite target all year as long as he stays healthy as he caught three of Rodgers’ five completions.

- Giants fans got their first look at Isaiah Simmons, who the team traded for earlier this week. It’s unclear exactly what his role might be, but he impressed with his pass rushing, blowing past Michael Carter for a pressure to disrupt a third down play and force the Jets to punt on Rodgers’ first drive.

Defensively, the Jets were in the backfield on virtually every snap while their starters were in. Jermaine Johnson, who could have a bigger role initially with Carl Lawson dealing with back issues, was particularly disruptive as he forced a holding penalty and recorded a sack. Johnson was only working against Matt Peart though; a player who has struggled in pass protection throughout the preseason.

- Sauce Gardner was another Jets star seeing his first action in preseason and he may have had some rust to shake off as rookie Jalin Hyatt had a step on him deep early in the game. Gardner settled down after that and was in good position on two more incompletions to Hyatt, including a deep ball that he broke up effortlessly.

- The Giants’ decision to rest their starters made a lot of sense in light of the fact that five of their players were ruled out due to first-half injuries. Zyon Gilbert, Bobby McCain, Chris Myarick, Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Wyatt Davis were the players that left the game. Hopefully, these were mostly precautionary.

- With the rookie Ford-Wheaton hurt early, Sills had a big opportunity to earn a roster spot and he saw plenty of targets throughout the game. He had mixed results but ended up with solid production as he had six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown.

- With Corey Davis retiring earlier in the week, a spot became available in the receiver rotation for the Jets and undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson, who is also in the mix to be the team’s return specialist, made a bid for a roster spot with a big performance. Gipson ended up with 79 yards on seven catches.

Highlights

What's next

The Jets and Giants both open their season with nationally televised games at MetLife Stadium with the Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sep. 10 at 8.20 p.m. and the Jets hosting the Buffalo Bills on Monday, Sep. 11 at 8.15 p.m.