They’ve shared a city — sometimes uncomfortably — since 1960.
They’ve shared a stadium — sometimes uncomfortably — since 1984.
That, however, is about all the Giants and Jets share — other than the 40 players who have played for both teams, highlighted by Don Maynard, Jumbo Elliott, Pepper Johnson and Leonard Marshall.
Since the two began cohabitation in the Meadowlands, the Giants have won four Super Bowls while the Jets have advanced to three AFC Championship games without crossing the threshold to the big game.
To say that’s a sore spot for the Jets and their fans is to be “Captain Obvious.’’ Those Super Bowl triumphs represent the impenetrable stronghold the Giants have over the Jets and their fans.
Entering Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium between the 5-6 Giants and 6-5 Jets — with the fate of both teams’ seasons in the balance — the Giants own an 8-4 advantage in the regular-season series and have won the last five meetings.
This is a good place to begin The Post’s look at the most memorable moments associated with the two teams, because some of them took place in the last regular-season meeting between the two, in 2011.
Here’s a look:
Merry Christmas
The Jets and the Giants met on Christmas Eve in 2011 with both teams controlling their own playoff destiny with just two games remaining in the regular season. A 99-yard catch-and-run TD by Victor Cruz just before halftime turned the game around after the Jets had taken a 7-3 lead. Cruz caught Eli Manning’s pass at the 11-yard line and beat Kyle Wilson and Antonio Cromartie to go the distance.
The play propelled the Giants to a 29-14 win en route to winning the Super Bowl. The Jets, who also were sabotaged by two interceptions by Mark Sanchez, blew their playoff chances that day and never recovered.
- There were histrionics beforehand, with the Jets — using black curtains — covering up the murals painted on the walls inside the stadium near the Giants locker room depicting their Super Bowl triumphs. That understandably ruffled some feathers.
Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes removed the curtains, only to have a Jets official move them back in front of the logos. Then a security guard was assigned to stand in front of the curtains to prevent further tampering. Because the Jets were the home team in that game, they had control over stadium operations.
When asked afterward about the Jets’ gamesmanship maneuver, Giants co-owner John Mara smiled and said: “No comment.”
“I won’t mention what I thought,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.
- There were histrionics afterward, as well, with Giants running back Brandon Jacobs getting into a heated confrontation with Jets coach Rex Ryan on the way off the field. Ryan, of course, had been engaging in all kinds of chatter in the days leading up to the game. So, when Jacobs approached Ryan as the teams walked off the field, he yelled, “Time to shut up, fat boy.”
Said Ryan after the game: “He doesn’t like me. I respect him, but I couldn’t care less about him.’’
- In the aftermath of the Giants winning Super Bowl XLVI in February of 2012, Tynes could not help himself from gloating about the Giants’ superiority over the rival Jets, crowing, “We are the kings of New York. There’s no second-guessing.”
Tynes pointed to that Cruz 99-yard TD as the turning point for the Giants that season, saying, “Once we won that game, it did a lot of things to us mentally.’’
“This was a double whammy for them, you know?” Tynes said of the Jets’ reaction to the Super Bowl. “Did they want the Patriots to win? Or did they want the Giants to win?”
Thanks for nothing
In the 1988 season finale, the Jets, already having been eliminated from the playoffs, knocked the Giants out of the playoffs as Ken O’Brien connected with Al Toon for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds to play in a 27-21 Jets win.
The Giants, who needed a victory to win the NFC East title and clinch a playoff berth, still had a chance later that night if the 49ers (who were already in the playoffs) beat the Rams. After the Niners, who played a lot of backups, lost, Giants quarterback Phil Simms told reporters: “I’m just sitting here staring and watching the 49ers lay down like dogs.”
“All week long in the locker room we talked about getting respect,’’ Jets defensive end Marty Lyons said after the game. “And we did that on the field today.’
After the game, Jets coach Joe Walton awarded a game ball to team owner Leon Hess, who told the team, “Thanks for getting the respectability back.’’
That hurts
- In the 2013 preseason meeting, the Jets lost quarterback Mark Sanchez for the season to a right shoulder injury when Rex Ryan inexplicably inserted him into the game in the fourth quarter behind an offensive line comprised of second- and third-stringers.
Sanchez, who had seemingly won the competition with Geno Smith for the starting job, was injured on a hit from Giants’ reserve defensive lineman Marvin Austin. Sanchez never played for the Jets again and has started only 10 games since — as a backup with the Eagles.
Ryan, making no sense whatsoever after the game, told reporters: “I wanted to play Mark. It’s my decision … all week we talk about winning the game and competing and it was my decision. I would not have put Mark in there if it wasn’t important. I understand being second-guessed when an injury happens, but that’s football.”
Even Austin second-guessed the curious decision to play Sanchez in garbage time, saying, “He’s their starter, so I was a little surprised. But I just looked at it like I had to go out there and get him. I have to go out there and perform, and show them I can play in this league and what better way to do it than against the Jets quarterback?”
- On the opening kickoff of the 1998 preseason meeting, the Giants lost star cornerback Jason Sehorn to a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee when coach Jim Fassel curiously had him returning kicks.
Sehorn, one of the fastest players in the NFL, was never the same player again. “It was surreal, like it didn’t really happen,’’ Giants running back Tiki Barber said the day after the game. “You’re thinking, ‘Stuff like this doesn’t happen.’ Ten seconds into a preseason game and the best athlete on the team is gone — just like that.’’
- The Jets appeared ready for a big run in 2003, a year removed from winning the AFC East, when they played the Giants in the preseason and lost quarterback Chad Pennington to a dislocation and bone break in his right wrist. The injury caused Pennington to miss the first six games of the regular season. The Jets struggled early with Vinny Testaverde and finished 6-10.
Getting to know you
- The game on Aug. 17, 1969 was the first of the annual preseason meetings between the teams. It took place at the Yale Bowl, where the Jets won 37-14 behind three TD passes on 14-of-16 passing for 188 yards by Joe Namath. The loss resulted in the Giants firing coach Allie Sherman.
- The teams met in the regular season for the first time on Nov. 1, 1970, at Shea Stadium, where the Giants won 22-10 with Al Woodall starting for the injured Namath.
- The Jets’ 26-20 win over the Giants on Nov. 10, 1974 at the Yale Bowl was only the second regular-season overtime game in NFL history. It also was the only regular-season game Namath played for the Jets against the Giants. Namath tied the game with a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter and won it with a 5-yard pass to Emerson Boozer.
- On Dec. 5, 1999, the Giants posted some record numbers for the series in a 41-28 win over the Jets during which they led 34-7 in the third quarter. The Giants scored the most points (41), compiled the most yards (490) and had the largest lead (27 points) in all the regular-season matchups between the teams.