Jets and Giants Need Sanchez and Eli to Carry Them to Postseason

If the season ended today, neither the Jets or Giants would be going to the postseason. For the Giants, it would represent a third straight season of collapsing in the season's 2nd half. For the Jets, it would be a colossal disappointment to not make the playoffs after two straight AFC Championship appearances. Lucky for New York, there are four games left and each team largely controls their own destiny.

Though the Giants are 6-6 as compared to the Jets 7-5, it is the Giants who have the better shot at making the postseason. Whether it be as a wild card or division winner, the Giants fate will be right in front of them in the month of December. It all starts this Sunday night in Dallas. The Cowboys have been unimpressive all season and are coming off a loss to the hapless Arizona Cardinals. The Giants, losers of four straight, are coming off perhaps their best game of the season, albeit a 38-35 loss to the undeafeted Packers. With teams like Detroit and Chicago falling apart down the stretch, the Giants are also in good shape for a wild card spot.

All season long the Giants formula for success has been simple. Put Eli Manning on the field with Nicks, Manningham, and Cruz and watch him go to work. Unlike previous years, Eli has not had a running game to rely on. The Giants are dead last in the NFL in rushing yards and yards per carry. In other words, the running game is horrible. With Ahmad Bradshaw being injured for a portion of the season, the onus has fallen on Brandon Jacbos. Jacobs has been ineffective, averaging only 3.4 yards per carry. Everyone knew that Jacobs would have a short shelf life in the NFL as a 6-4 running back. It appears that his years of dominance are behind him.

The New York Giants defense has not lived up to expectations either. Through 12 games they are 28th in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed. The pass rush has been inconsistent and the secondary has underachieved. The only constant has been Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants have more elite pass rushers then anyone in the league but only Pierre-Paul has stayed healthy and consistently contributed.

This brings us back to Eli. The running game and defense have underachieved and Manning has stepped up, having his best season of his career. He has been clutch, hasn't turned the ball over, and has done it all with a plethora of injuries on the offensive side of the ball. If the Giants want to be NFC East Champions, it will be up to Eli to go into Dallas this Sunday and give the Giants sole possession of first place.

Mark Sanchez and his New York Jets are in a similar predicament. Since he entered the league the perception has been that the Jets win with a dominant running game and defense. This year that has not been the case. After finishing in the Top 5 in both categories the last two years, the running game has fallen to 24th in the league while the defense has dropped all the way to 16th. With a below average running game and an average defense, Sanchez has elevated his game. Like Eli, Sanchez has been at his best when it matter most. He has led numerous 4th quarter comebacks and several game winning drives this season. The Jets offense is currently 8th in the NFL in points scored. That is due to Mark Sanchez's play this season, especially in the red zone, where the Jets are one of the NFL's best offenses.

The main problem for the Jets is that they are just one of several teams sitting at 7-5 in the AFC. To make matters worse, the Jets do not have any tie breakers against their competition. It appears that the Jets are going to have to win out just to grab the 6th and final playoff spot in the crowded AFC. The Jets have only themselves to blame. They lost head-to-head to Oakland and Denver and got swept by the division rival Patriots. The good news is that the Jets have the easiest final four games of all of the 7-5 wild card contenders in the AFC. The combined records of the Jets final four opponents is 19-29.

Sanchez has already thrown 19 touchdown passes (a career high) while only throwing 11 interceptions. He has a chance in the next four games to silence many of his critics. If the Jets can pull this off then Sanchez and Ryan would be the first Head Coach-Quarterback tandem in the New York Jets history to lead the team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

Ironically, it is the Christmas Eve matchup between the two New York franchises that will likely decide each team's playoff fate. The game will likely be more crucial to the Jets but the Giants are going to need the win as well. Again, that game will come down to the two Quarterbacks.

It's crunch time for both the Jets and the Giants. Tom Coughlin's job might be on the line while Rex Ryan's credibility dangles by a thread. It will be up to Mark Sanchez and Eli Manning to get the job done.