Three weeks remain in the NFL regular season and both the New York Jets and the New York Giants continue to contend for a playoff spot. These New York football teams have taken different paths to get to this point. Gang Green started the season with complete domination, but a mid-season slump might come back to haunt them. Meanwhile, for Big Blue, inconsistency has been theme of the season as late game blunders and miscues have held them back from dominating the NFC East division. The Jets and the Giants need to finish the season nearly perfect, or else their playoff hopes will be deflated faster than the Patriots’ footballs. These teams have relied on a wide cast of players, but which athletes have done the most to carry their respected team this season?

For the past decade, the New York Jets have trotted out putrid offenses. However, Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall have changed that entirely. The wide receiver tandem of Decker and Marshall has dominated smaller defensive backs and will finish as the greatest duo in New York Jets’ history. The duo has already combined for 20 touchdowns, tying New York’s all-time record. The wide receivers make plays all over the field, and it shows in the New York Jets’ 12th ranked passing offense. The New York Jets fly high when their best playmakers are involved, and the duo’s combined 2,062 receiving yards displays their high level of production.

Similarly, the New York Giants’ top wide receiver has also been pivotal to their team’s success. Odell Beckham Jr., a young star from LSU, is already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Beckham Jr. has accumulated 1,320 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Thus, he is averaging approximately 100 yards and one touchdown per game. The young receiver is the embodiment of the current New York Giants; he produces astronomical receiving numbers and he is certainly theatrical in his celebrations.

The New York Jets and the New York Giants have formidable paths ahead in their final pushes for the playoffs. However, if both of their top players can continue to produce, both organizations will be able to secure a spot in football’s greatest tournament.