Trouble in the Meadowlands

Most New Yorkers are understandably busy with the Yankees these days, but all is not quiet on the football front. The once-invincible Giants, after rattling off 5 straight wins to start the season, have dropped to 5-3 and lost control of the NFC East. The change in the winds may have something to do with the quality of their competition--4 of those 5 wins came against teams that currently have a combined record of 5-24--but may also be attributable to injuries that have hampered Eli Manning and Mario Manningham, a QB-WR duo that recently looked like one of the top tandems in the NFC.

But even these stumbling Giants, who have a home date with the schizophrenic Chargers this weekend, are looking like the best New Jersey has to offer lately. The New York Jets, who only a month ago anointed themselves Super Bowl champions, have dropped 4 out of 5 games, including two straight to the Dolphins, and one devastating home loss against the Bills. The throaty-in-every-possible-sense Rex Ryan, who feuded with the Dolphins in the offseason and renewed his arrogant vows last week, will have to wait until next year to get his licks in against this self-appointed nemesis. Despite a couple better-looking performances from Mark Sanchez, the Jets have failed to cash in on a string of weak opponents. There's no doubt that this team is reeling.

With the Patriots having coasted comfortably into their bye week against two (formerly) winless teams, they've now got a solid 1.5-game lead in the division. The next few weeks will keep it interesting, with the Pats taking on, in order, Miami, Indianapolis, the Jets, New Orleans, and Miami again. With road games against the last two undefeated teams in the NFL, they've got their work cut out for them. And, at the same time, the Jets are looking at a minimum of four more easy games: Jacksonville, Carolina, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay, interrupted only by a big game in Foxboro against the Patriots. Despite the embarrassing losses of the past month, the Jets have a chance to get back into the divisional race if they can sweep up against crappy teams. But, with their overly emotional personality and inconsistent play, it's got to be gut-check time going into the bye. One more of these "oops" games, and they're going to be in trouble.