SportsQuest
All games

Week 7, Sun, Oct 25, 1:00 PM local

Miami Dolphinsat New York Jets

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford. Fly into EWR.

Build the quest

Kickoff slot

Early

Lots open before breakfast.

Lots open

8:00 AM

Local time on game day.

Where to stay

In the city

Tailgate from 8:00 AM, then the game.

The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The Dolphins are 0-3 after 3 games, 4th in the AFC East.

They have lost 3 in a row.

They are 0-2 on the road.

The Jets are 1-2 after 3 games, 2nd in the AFC East.

They have lost 2 in a row.

They are 0-1 at home.

What we know about MetLife Stadium

Where visiting fans stay

Checked at the source
  • Midtown Manhattan. 40 min. NJ Transit from NY Penn to Secaucus Junction, transfer to the Meadowlands Rail Line shuttle. MetLife Stadium is in New Jersey, not New York. Still, stay in Manhattan and commute out. Every carless route runs through New York Penn Station or Secaucus Junction. Penn Station also covers the rest of your trip. From near Penn, take one train to Secaucus, then a 10-13 minute shuttle to the stadium door.
  • Hoboken / Jersey City waterfront. 25 min. NJ Transit rail via Secaucus Junction. Hoboken is cheaper than Manhattan and has its own bars and restaurants. Nothing near the stadium does. NJ Transit runs no direct Hoboken-to-Meadowlands shuttle for 2026 games. Every 2026-27 Giants and Jets home game routes through Secaucus Junction. PATH gets you back into Manhattan in minutes for a night out.
  • Downtown Newark. 35 min. NJ Transit from Newark Penn to Secaucus Junction, transfer to Meadowlands shuttle. Newark is the value option if the game is the whole point. It costs less and takes less effort than Manhattan. It is also the one base with a quick airport link, a few minutes from EWR by AirTrain and rail. Newark Penn sits on the same NJ Transit line as Secaucus. The trade-off is a thin evening scene compared to Manhattan or Hoboken.
  • Secaucus. 15 min. Meadowlands Rail Line shuttle from Secaucus Junction. Secaucus only makes sense for a quick in-and-out trip. You sleep right on top of the transfer point, which helps on the way home. But it is a hotel-and-warehouse district with no walkable nightlife.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
No real hotel cluster near the stadium. Three hotels sit within 0.6 miles: Hilton Meadowlands (0.5 mi), Extended Stay America (0.5 mi), Hampton Inn Carlstadt (0.6 mi). None are near a walkable bar or restaurant district. The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a race track, a disused arena, the American Dream mall, and parking lots. Busy highways surround the site, so stick to marked crossings if you walk. You can find a bed, not a night out.

Getting in from the airport

Checked at the source
EWR, Newark Liberty International. About 30 minutes via AirTrain Newark, included in the NJ Transit ticket, to Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station, then NJ Transit rail to New York Penn Station.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
Meadowlands Rail Line (branded BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line) via Secaucus Junction. Meadowlands Rail Line, shuttle leg only, about 12 min to Steps from the stadium's southeast gate. Coach USA 351 Meadowlands Express. Drops in Lot K near the Quest Diagnostics Performance Center. Enter through the MetLife Gate.

Tailgating

Checked at the source
You need a car to tailgate here. Tailgating is legal but tied to your own parking bay, and you need a pre-paid parking permit just to enter the lots. Open parking spaces can't be used for tailgating, and ticket holders can't reserve spaces for others, so you can't buy into a stranger's tailgate either. Tailgating is banned in the parking garages and in the non-tailgating area of Lot G. Carless fans should plan on the in-stadium concourses or team pre-game parties instead.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: Each person can bring one clear bag, 12 by 6 by 12 inches or smaller, or a one-gallon clear freezer bag, plus one small non-clear clutch, 4.5 by 6.5 inches or smaller. Diaper bags and camera bags are not allowed. Medically necessary items are allowed after inspection at a designated gate. Bag check is free at NFL events, $5 at non-NFL events.
  • Re-entry: Re-entry depends on the team. Giants games and most events allow no re-entry. Jets games allow re-entry up to one hour before kickoff.
  • Prohibited items: No umbrellas. Strollers must be checked. No seat cushions except for medical need. No outside food, alcohol, coolers, or glass. No banners, signs, or flags of any size, except international soccer flags. No camera lenses over 6 inches, no detachable-lens or professional cameras, GoPros, selfie sticks, or tripods. No noisemakers or air horns. No adult-sized football helmets with facemasks.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
Stadium tours don't run on game days. MetLife confirmed tours run only on non-event days. Of the six tour dates published for the rest of 2026, none falls on any of the 17 home games. Five of the six fall on the Saturday right before a Sunday home game. The one Sunday date falls on the only autumn Sunday when both teams play away. Private tours run Monday to Friday at 10am, 1pm, and 4pm only. Since 16 of 17 home dates fall on weekends, tours are unavailable on nearly every game day. The published prices, $20 and $15, are for the private group rate only; no public tour price is listed. If you're traveling for a Sunday game, book the Saturday before instead. See metlifestadium.com/stadium-tours/about-stadium-tours.

After the final whistle

From a specialist guide
20-45 minutes by rail, 90 plus by car. Rail is solid on a normal NFL Sunday. After the game, trains run at least every 15 minutes, load-and-go, until crowds thin out, then as needed. Leaving by the southeast gate can get you on a train in a few minutes. The real bottleneck shows up at full 80,000-plus events. At Super Bowl XLVIII, fans waited up to 90 minutes, and some were held inside the stadium until more trains arrived. After WrestleMania 35, fans waited a long time for the first post-event trains. Watch your connection too: NJ Transit warns to check your last connecting train from Secaucus, since evening service thins out. Driving or rideshare out of the lots is the slow option, not the train.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Don't book an airport-style hotel near the Meadowlands expecting game-day energy. You'll end up eating at the mall food court and crossing a highway on foot. Don't book in Queens or Brooklyn near JFK either, just because it's New York; that adds an hour each way. If you stay in Manhattan, pick the west side near Penn Station, not the east side or downtown.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • Yard House at American Dream

    1 American Dream Way, East Rutherford, NJ 07073

    American Dream connects to MetLife by a footbridge through Parking Deck A. The deck stays open 24 hours.

    Away fans: mixed crowd, neutral mall restaurant in the shared Giants and Jets complex.

  • The Yard, Haledon

    289 Belmont Ave, Haledon, NJ 07508

    If you want organized Jets fans instead of a neutral sports bar, go here. The Jets list it in their official Bar Network as a scheduled watch-party host.

    Away fans: mostly home fans. Official Jets Bar Network watch-party host.

  • Mustang Harry's

    352 7th Ave, New York, NY 10001

    Brothers Ian and Niall Conroy from County Tipperary have run it for thirty years. Its location is what makes it useful, not any Jets tie.

    Away fans: welcomes away fans. Official fan bar for multiple franchises.

  • Redd's Restaurant & Biergarten

    317 Washington Ave, Carlstadt, NJ 07072

    Redd's answers a question MetLife Stadium doesn't: where do you go without a tailgate? It's a casual restaurant and bar with an outdoor biergarten of long communal tables, built, by its own words, to get people talking.

    Away fans: mixed by design. Official Giants Bar Network venue that also draws Jets fans.

Sidequests in East Rutherford

In the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Eat65 points

    Rutt's Hut Ripper hot dog

    Roadside stand in Clifton since 1928, known for the Ripper, a deep-fried hot dog whose casing splits in the fryer. Order it with the house mustard relish.

    $. The day before

  2. Tour100 points

    MetLife Stadium public weekend tour

    90 to 120 minute walking tour on select Saturdays and Sundays at 10am, 1pm or 4pm, sold through Ticketmaster. Dates are set around stadium events. No game-day tours listed.

    $$. The day before. Bookable

  3. Outing40 points

    Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park

    Indoor theme park with more than 35 rides inside American Dream, between the stadium and the Turnpike. Kids under 2 get in free, good call for a Saturday with the family.

    $$. The day before

  4. Landmark65 points

    American Dream, the mall beside the stadium

    Mall opened in 2019 next to MetLife Stadium. Indoor water park, indoor ski slope, and a theme park, all under one roof.

    Free. The day before

  5. Photo25 points

    Dream Wheel observation wheel

    A 300-foot enclosed observation wheel inside American Dream. Ride takes 30 minutes, boards at Court C, Level 3 near the food court, next to the stadium.

    $$. The day before

  6. Eat65 points

    White Manna sliders, Hackensack

    Tiny stainless steel diner serving onion-griddled sliders on potato rolls since 1946. North Jersey institution, about 15 minutes north of the stadium by car.

    $. The day before

  7. Landmark65 points

    Meadowlands Racetrack next door

    Harness and turf racing at 1 Racetrack Drive, same complex as the stadium. Evening cards post at 7pm; check the calendar for weekend dates.

    $. 18 hours before kickoff

  8. Eat65 points

    Candlewyck Diner

    Classic New Jersey diner open daily 7am to 11pm, minutes from MetLife Stadium. A bite before or after a Jets or Giants game.

    $. 5 hours before kickoff

  9. Drink25 points

    Redd's Restaurant and Bar pregame

    Carlstadt bar and beer garden less than a mile from the stadium. Runs a shuttle to and from MetLife on game days, about $50 including parking.

    $$. 3 hours before kickoff

  10. Ritual25 points

    Train to the game via Secaucus Junction

    NJ Transit shuttles run from Secaucus Junction to Meadowlands station, right by the stadium. Trains start three and a half hours before kickoff, every 10 to 20 minutes.

    $. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  11. Tailgate65 points

    Giants beer garden and plaza outside the gates

    Walk-up pregame zone outside the stadium between the MetLife and Verizon Gates. Beer garden, the Jr. Giants Kids Zone, a stage. No car or parking pass needed.

    Free. 2 hours before kickoff

  12. Drink25 points

    Biggie's Clam Bar, Carlstadt

    Family-run clam bar founded in Hoboken in 1946, now on Route 17 in Carlstadt. Bar open until 11pm Sunday, midnight Friday and Saturday.

    $$. 3 hours after kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of MetLife Stadium sits, and what you see from it.

Level 100, end zoneLevel 100, corner, home sideLevel 100, home sidelineLevel 100, corner, home sideLevel 100, end zoneLevel 100, corner, visitor sideLevel 100, visitor sidelineLevel 100, corner, visitor sideLevel 200, end zoneLevel 200, corner, home sideLevel 200, home sidelineLevel 200, corner, home sideLevel 200, end zoneLevel 200, corner, visitor sideLevel 200, visitor sidelineLevel 200, corner, visitor sideLevel 300, end zoneLevel 300, corner, home sideLevel 300, home sidelineLevel 300, corner, home sideLevel 300, end zoneLevel 300, corner, visitor sideLevel 300, visitor sidelineLevel 300, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
Level 100101 to 149Level 200201 to 250bLevel 300301 to 350Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.