Josh and I agree on a lot of things, and we have the most important things in common: beer, dogs, and sports. Where we disagree is on our football teams of choice. I’m a New York Giants fan, and he’s a New England Patriots fan.

And, back in May when the NFL schedule was released, we thought it would be a good idea to go to a Patriots/Giants game in November. We may or may not regret that decision now, but regardless, it happened and we survived.

The game fell into the NFL Flex Schedule window, when the NFL can change the time of the game, and we were worried that the game would get moved from 1:00 p.m. to later in the day. Until about a month ago when I said the game is going to be moved to an un-televised scrimmage at 10:00 a.m. since both teams were doing terribly this season. Going into Week 12, the Giants were 3–8 and the Pats were 2–8. Anytime Josh or I told someone we were going to the Pats/Giants game in New Jersey, we always got the same “Oooooh” response—since both teams sucked and we had to go to New Jersey.

We already bought the tickets and a parking pass, so we had to go. The only highlight was that it would be both of our first NFL games.

Sunday, November 26

A bright and early 6:15 a.m. wake-up call 🙃 The estimated drive time was 2.5 hours but Josh wanted to account for traffic, so we left at 7:30 a.m. after getting a quick breakfast at Dunkin’. We packed the day before since we were staying over Sunday night in New Jersey after the game.

The only traffic we hit going from Connecticut to New Jersey was trying to get into New York City, over the George Washington Bridge, and then on the New Jersey turnpike toward the stadium. By the time we got to MetLife in line for parking, it was almost 10:30 a.m. A ton of people were already there tailgating (the lots opened at 8:00 a.m.) but it wasn’t too bad to find open parking close to the stadium.

Getting through security was easy, and then we had to go up three sets of escalators to the top concourse where our seats were.

We were in section 330, row 22, seats 28 and 29—five rows down from the very top and the definition of nosebleed seats. Josh called it the “Poor People Section” since these were the cheapest tickets available, and we still paid $115 for each. Also, boy, were those steps steep.

This was taken while wondering if we had made a good life decision.

We had an early lunch—the chicken tenders were really good—and watched both teams warm up. It was hard to see who the players were, so Josh was using his phone camera to zoom in on the field.

I took a video of the Giants running out onto the field, and after they announced Tommy DeVito, our third-string-but-now-starting-quarterback, Josh and I kept making jokes about how he still lives at home about 15 minutes away from the stadium. (His mom dropped him off and told him dinner would be ready when he got home; he overslept and had to take the train to the stadium; he should text his dad when he’s ready to get picked up, etc.)

This was the Giants Salute to Service game, so throughout the game, they were honoring veterans on the field. For one of the vets, he was surprised with a service dog named Storm! I almost cried. And they were handing out special camo Giants scarves at the entrance, so I took one; Josh declined.

It was cool to see a game-starting kick-off in person. And then feel instant regret. But it was worth it for the overall experience. There was a group of Patriots fans sitting in front of us who thought I was crazy after Josh told them I’m also a Red Sox fan. (My reason is that I’m from Connecticut and we’re just confused here.) We also kept an eye out for other Pats/Giants couples, and there were quite a few, plus split friend groups.

The score was 0–0 after the first quarter, and then the Giants scored a touchdown in the second. I got a video of it just in case it was the only scoring play of the game; we honestly weren’t sure how the game was going to go. It was 7–0 Giants going into halftime.

During the break, we headed out to the concourse so I could go to the bathroom, and I ended up running into a couple that I used to work with. Josh is like, “We’re in New Jersey!!! How are you running into people you know?!” We chatted for a few minutes before I spent a long time waiting in the bathroom line.

That could have been our rookie mistake because it was early in the third quarter—the Giants radio station was playing in the bathroom and I heard that the Pats benched Mac Jones and put Bailey Zappe in—and alcohol sales end at the start of the third. We had no clue. And by the time we got back to our seats, it was starting to mist, so the third quarter wasn’t the best.

The Pats tied up the game 7–7 in the third, and we went into the fourth quarter wondering if the game would go into overtime. Thankfully, we were sitting under some roof panels so we weren’t getting rained on; we’d just get some of the mist from the wind. Halfway through the fourth, the Giants got a field goal to make the game 10–7, and we were like okay, just keep it like this. It was starting to get colder and rainier, so we didn’t want to sit there longer than we needed to. And Josh is banking on a good draft pick if the Pats keep up their losing streak.

Then with six seconds left in the quarter, the Pats kicked a field goal to hopefully tie the game. Until it was missed wide left. We couldn’t tell at first but then Josh looked at me and said that he missed. For most of the game, I kept clapping when I shouldn’t have, as a result of 1. not being able to see what was happening on the field, and 2. sitting in a section with Pats fans. The Giants got the ball back and took a knee to end the game.

Final score: 10–7, Giants. Could I still feel my fingers? Yes. Will I continue to be a Giants fan? Yes. The Giants moved to a record of 4–8 and go into a bye week, while the Pats fall to 2–9 and are set to play the Los Angeles Chargers next week. (Josh will be going to that game at Gillette in Foxborough with his dad and brother.)

We took the stairs all the way down and out of the stadium and then walked to the car. It took us about 10 minutes to get out of the parking lot, and then another 40ish minutes to get to the hotel because of all the traffic.

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Edgewater NYC Area. When we got there, it was super dark and rainy, and it was hard to tell where the parking and building entrance was. After circling a few times, we found it and eventually checked in.

We ended up talking football with the guy sitting next to us and the bartender. The guy next to us was surprised that I knew a lot about football and that I played fantasy. Don’t underestimate me, sir; but he was nice.

After two beers each, Josh and I went up to our room to watch some of the Sunday night game before going to bed around 10:00 p.m. We were both exhausted from getting up early and then all of the driving during the day.

Monday, November 27

We’re glad we didn’t try to do a round-trip drive in one day and decided to stay overnight. After sleeping in a bit, we got up and got ready to check-out.

You could see New York City right across the river, and I kept saying to Josh it looks so magical and like all of my dreams could come true, and he kept shooting me down. His sister lived for six years in NYC and he’s like, “She tried to make it happen and it was too expensive” so I gave up my dream of living in the city. (I’m not a city person, though, but there’s just something about how all the tall buildings look from a distance.)

We were on the road back home around 11:00 a.m., and yet again, hit traffic trying to get onto the George Washington Bridge. About halfway through, we stopped at a rest stop in Connecticut to get gas and then were on our way home. I immediately took a couch nap, like I did after getting home from Thanksgiving, because I felt so exhausted.

This was the last of our activities for a while; I’ve had a pretty busy last week or so with the holidays and other stuff, so I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine this week.

Down the road, I’d like to go to another NFL game, even if it’s with Josh to Gillette since it’s closer than MetLife. But I figured this Pats/Giants game would be a good experience for us anyway, and we both left happy: Me because the Giants won, and Josh because it means the Pats are closer to a better draft pick in 2024.