None of that separates these two teams by market number so much as it separates them by direction. One team is coming off back-to-back blowout wins to close last season; the other hasn't won since Thanksgiving week. That gap in vibes matters more here than anything the scoreboard will actually reflect once the backups take over in the second half.
The Giants' last-5 stretch tells two different stories — three straight losses by single-digit or shrinking margins, then a pair of 34-point outbursts to close the year against the Raiders and Cowboys. That finish is exactly why Harbaugh's staff feels good about where Dart's confidence sits heading into camp, even with the offense still installing. The Jets have no such silver lining: five losses to end the season, getting outscored by an average of nearly 30 points a game in that span, capped by a 35-8 no-show in Buffalo.
By the time this preseason finale kicks off at 7:30 PM ET, expect it to be far more about roster bubble battles than about Smith or Dart. Bodies like Braxton Berrios, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham Jr. are all fighting for Giants roster spots, while names like Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell try to lock in reps for a Jets receiver room still figuring itself out under Frank Reich's new system. It's the last dress rehearsal before the games start counting — and for one of these franchises, the vibes need to turn around fast.