Darren Rizzi reflected on returning home ahead of Saints vs. Giants, but says he’ll ‘have the blinders on’ coaching against his childhood team:
Darren Rizzi opened up his head coaching career with three consecutive home games. The New Orleans Saints go on the road for the first time under Rizzi’s leadership on Sunday.
Rizzi follows up three games in the Caesars Superdome with his own homecoming against the New York Giants. He’ll be coaching the Saints against the team he grew up cheering for.
Rizzi has never been quiet about his northeastern roots. He’s told us Younghoe Koo went to his rival high school. During a presser this week, Rizzi bragged about his own high school defeating Tommy DeVito’s high school in the New Jersey state championship.
Being raised in New Jersey makes this game different. Rizzi told reporters he has to “practice what I preach with the players. I can’t get too wrapped up in the moment.” The Saints are playing at MetLife Stadium, about 15 minutes from where Rizzi grew up. He grew up rooting for the Giants and reflected going to their playoff games.
These memories are things he’s pushing to the back of his mind until after the game. Right now he is prioritizing having “the blinders on like everybody else and just trying to coach the game.”
The Seattle Seahawks are once again returning to MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands to face a New York team. Interestingly, this time it will not be the Giants, but instead the Jets. It will be the first time the Seahawks have played the Jets on their home turf.
Well, maybe I shouldn’t be calling MetLife “home turf” for the New York teams, because it has turned into a home-away-from home for the Seahawks. Ever since MetLife Stadium first opened its doors in 2010, Seattle has known nothing but victory on this turf. Whether the opponents are wearing blue, green or even orange, the Seahawks reign supreme in the Meadowlands.
It’s never a bad time to take a trip down memory lane, so let us do just that, shall we? Here are all six wins the Seahawks have earned at MetLife Stadium:
As you can see, Sunday will mark only the second time Seattle has traveled to New York/New Jersey for a road game against the Jets. Interestingly enough, the Jets have traveled to Lumen Field twice since the 2016 season, both being dominant Seahawks victories as well.
You have to forgive Washington Commanders’ fans. They are 7-2 and in first place in the NFC East, but the franchise hasn’t done a lot of winning over the years.
So, it’s not surprising that their trash-talking is a little rusty. That trash talk was on display Sunday during the Commanders’ 27-22 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
One Washington fan was at the game mixing it up with Giants fans and had some choice words for the New York faithful. As the fan turned around and attempted to sit down or move down a row, he took a painful tumble down the seats.
While it’s always good to see the legendary Art Monk represented, it’s safe to say the Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver would not approve of the fan’s conduct.
The Commanders would win 27-22 to sweep the season series against the Giants. It’s Washington’s first sweep of New York since the 2021 season.
Notre Dame absolutely crushed Navy, 51-14, in the teams’ latest meeting at MetLife Stadium. The win was impressive enough that the Irish moved up to No. 8 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. Those two things on their own would make for an impressive weekend for any team.
How and where this game unfolded painted a sad picture for the New York Giants and New York Jets, the two NFL tenants at MetLife Stadium. Both teams are either at or tied for the bottom of their respective divisions, and it shows in the fact that neither team has given their fans much to cheer about at home this season.
By scoring seven touchdowns in defeating the Midshipmen, the Irish surpassed the combined total of touchdowns the Giants and Jets have scored at MetLife Stadium so far this season by one. With both teams on the road this week, that stat will hold going into November:
Notre Dame has scored more touchdowns in MetLife Stadium this year than the New York Jets & Giants combined…
Needless to say, times are tough for NFL fans in New York. That’s not the Irish’s problem though.
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The Buffalo Bills will visit the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium on “Monday Night Football” in Week 6. The winner will become the leader in the AFC East.
The Bills (3-2) and Jets (2-3) are both coming off tough losses to good football teams. The Bills fell at the Texans while the Jets lost to the Vikings in London. Both teams are looking to bounce back.
The Bills are mostly searching for answers on offense while the Jets are searching for a new direction for the team after firing their head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday. The Jets’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been promoted to interim head coach, while Todd Downing has taken over the offensive play calling for Nathaniel Hackett.
The Bills aren’t exactly sure what to expect given the coaching changes for the Jets, but they’ll be focused on themselves getting back in the win column.
Here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 6:
Play to the strengths of personnel
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It took one Khalil Shakir ankle injury for the Bills to learn what they had in their new offensive weapons. Under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, they haven’t had to pass much this year. Josh Allen is tied for 23rd in the NFL in pass attempts.
When they passed, Shakir was the go-to guy. Without him in Week 5, newcomers had to step up. They didn’t.
Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were targeted a total of 18 times in the loss. They caught just four of the passes.
The pass catchers looked out of place and were misused. Hollins hasn’t made a living on go-balls. MVS in the short field hasn’t been his strong suit. According to former NFL WR Steve Smith, Coleman belongs in the slot. And, Samuel has been nonexistent in the offense. So, why are they being used this way?
It’s still a newly formed unit, and Brady will have to play some chess to figure out how they can be most effective. But, changes ought to be made to how they are being utilized, and quickly.
Don’t let Jets running backs heat up
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Jets running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen have been held in check lately on the field. In the last two weeks, they have averaged 37 combined rushing yards per game.
They are capable of much more. They can make defenders miss and are one of the more talented duos in the league. They are threats through the air as well. Both backs have a receiving touchdown this year.
The Bills’ rush defense ranks as eighth-worst in the NFL through five weeks. They give up over 144 yards per game on the ground. Sure, Breece Hall has averaged an abysmal 3.0 yards per carry to start the year, but the Bills defense has allowed big ground games this year. Ed Oliver was ruled out for the game as of Saturday morning, which makes things more difficult for the middle of the Bills defense.
More efficient offense
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Last week Allen was 9-for-31 passing (29%). He was 1-of-14 on passes ten or more yards downfield. Under pressure, he was 0-for-15.
What happened? Week 5 was night and day from what we saw the first three weeks when Allen and Brady had the offense humming. After three games, Allen was completing 75% of his passes and the Bills led the league in points per game.
The offense knows they have to be better. An early learning curve is expected due to all the new pieces and having a young OC, but no one expected the curve to look that bad. Eyes will once again be on the Bills offense to see how they turn it around, just like they were last week after their poor performance in Week 4.
The New York Giants have unveiled a new look for MetLife Stadium, complete with logos and banners to help celebrate their 100th season.
The New York Giants will square off against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, September 8 in the first game of their 100th season.
To celebrate that historic milestone, the Giants have honored those of the past with unique Century Red uniforms, a multitude of events, a top 100 players countdown, and a brand-new stadium design.
On Thursday, the Giants unveiled that new MetLife Stadium design, complete with a throwback midfield logo, customized wall banners, and other retro elements.
During the preseason, the Giants went with the classic “NY” logo at midfield but have switched it up to their primary logo from the 1950s (1950-1955).
The wall branding includes logos from every decade in Giants history, while also celebrating their four NFL championships (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and their four Super Bowl championships (1986, 1990, 2007, 2011).
The Giants likely have other surprises in store for the regular season opener, but this is a good start. The midfield logo is far more appealing than the “NY” logo or the NFL shield, which they have used in the recent past.
MetLife Stadium is ranked among the safest venues in the NFL but varies based on when the New York Giants and New York Jets play.
MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Giants and Jets, may not be the most fan-friendly, aesthetically pleasing venue in the NFL but it is among the safest.
The odd twist is that fan behavior split the ranking with the Giants and Jets. MetLife Stadium is tied for second overall when the Jets play, while it ranks fourth overall when the Giants play.
Jets fans rank eighth in behavior, while Giants fans rank 12th.
In terms of violent crime and total crime index, MetLife Stadium ranks second overall (same for both teams). It is tied for 12th in crime grade.
According to our research, Gillette Stadium has the lowest violent crime rate of any NFL stadium, at 9.36, ranking ahead of MetLife Stadium, which is home of the New York Giants and Jets.
Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, ranked second overall — tied with MetLife Stadium when the Jets play.
The NFL stadiums that rounded out the top end of the list were MetLife Stadium for the New York Jets and Giants, followed by Highmark Stadium, which is home to the Buffalo Bills, who ranked fifth in the league.
Remarkably, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles) ranked 19th overall, which seems unrealistically high given what we know about Eagles fans.
Giants CEO John Mara on the possibility of MetLife switching to a grass field: “We’re not there yet.”
Earlier this year, we learned that MetLife Stadium would host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final and that a grass field would be installed to meet FIFA standards.
So, if that’s the case, why can’t the New York Giants and New York Jets — who play their home games at MetLife — play on grass, too?
“We’re not there yet,” Giants CEO John Mara told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, on Monday when asked about changing the surface to grass.
“I want to get to the point where the experts can tell us that late in the season we can have a safe, playable grass field, and when we get to that point, then maybe we’ll make the switch.”
Another reason is the teams just invested in a new, more player-friendly artificial surface (FieldTurf Core HD) before the 2023 season.
MetLife switched from UBU Speed S5-M as a result of the unusually high number of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 13 years since it opened in 2010.
At the Super Bowl, Jets owner Woody Johnson said that he and Mara spoke “once a week” about switching to an all-grass field but the logistics and other feasibility factors, such as weather, were not in their favor.
MetLife Stadium is a year-round venue that hosts large events ranging from sporting events to world-class concerts and entertainment. Maintaining a grass field would be challenging with all of that use.
MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 14 years since it opened in 2010.
Now they will have to switch to a natural surface, an idea that has been bandied about between the owners of the Giants and Jets for quite some time now.
Johnson added that grass could be a challenge, because the stadium hosts so many events — and because two NFL teams share the open-air venue until at least late December or early January, when the regular season ends. And everyone knows what New Jersey’s weather can be like then.
Grass is not optimal at MetLife, one of the most popular venues in North America because of both logistics and the expense.
As stated, the Northern New Jersey weather would literally put a damper on the effort, which is one of the reasons the teams opted for an artificial surface to begin with.
With two NFL teams playing on the surface — possibly on back-to-back days — and all of the other events that take place at the venue (soccer, college football, concerts, monster trucks, wrestling, etc.) it would be a severe challenge to care for a grass surface year-round.
A grass surface at MetLife full-time might end up being more unsafe than the current one they have in place.
MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final and will install a temporary natural grass field in accordance with FIFA’s standards.
MetLife Stadium, which will be the host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, has announced it will convert to a grass surface to be in compliance with FIFA requirements.
“MetLife usually has a turf pitch for NFL matches but will be converted to grass for World Cup games to meet FIFA’s standards.” https://t.co/Fd0DSXaCQv
MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, which will play games in all three North American countries, will begin on June 11 and commence in New Jersey on July 19 at MetLife.
The 16 host cities contain two in Canada, three in Mexico, and 11 in the United States: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, New York City (MetLife), Philadelphia, and Miami.
