Daniel Jones has only played in one game, but the New York Giants rookie showed why Gotham should be teeming with excitement.
After just two weeks, the New York Giants decided to make the move from Eli Manning to Daniel Jones. It only took one game to prove that it was the right decision to move on from the team’s all-time leading passer.
No team in the league needed a spark more than the Giants. Their offense has felt stale for several seasons, despite having star players like Odell Beckham, Evan Engram, and Saquon Barkley during those years. From 2016-2017, the team never scored 30 points in a single game. Jones was able to accomplish that in his first game.
It was evident that the move from Manning to Jones was the right one. For the first time all season, the Giants played energy. The team looked rejuvenated as they know have a young, exciting quarterback who could be the future. Even when the team was down 18-points in the second half, the Giants had the look of a team that trusted their rookie quarterback to continue to make plays.
Today, we are going to take a look at how Jones was able to pull off the impressive comeback on the road and why the move to Jones was the correct one. We will also examine how the Giants’ offense changed with Jones and what to expect going forward from their rookie passer.
First off, Jones’ performance for the Giants was historic and surprising. Consider this. During Eli Manning’s career, he had just four games in which he threw for at least 325 yards and accounted for three or more touchdowns without throwing an interception. Jones was able to accomplish that in his first NFL start. Jones’ first start was one of the best we’ve ever seen to start a career.
What made Jones’ first career start so successful? There were two main differences between Jones and the 2019 version of Eli Manning. The first significant difference being that Jones was a far more aggressive passer than anything we’ve seen fro the Giants in recent memory.
Heading into Week 3, no quarterback in the league had more passes at or behind the line of scrimmage than Manning (26). In Jones’ first start, he had a league-low two throws at or behind the line of scrimmage. Take a look at his full passing chart via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats:
Here is #Giants QB Daniel Jones’ passing chart via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats: pic.twitter.com/TCKl9tqVqe
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 23, 2019
In the past, the Giants were a reasonably easy team to defend on offense. Over the last few years, Manning would rarely take shots down the field, in part due to his lack of mobility in the pocket. Manning just never fully trusted his protection and was a sitting duck on most plays. But with Jones, he has the ability to escape pressure and the willingness to take chances 20-30 yards down the field.
That leads me to the second (massive) difference between Jones and Manning; the ability to make plays with your legs. In today’s NFL, you need to have an athletic quarterback if you want to have an elite offense. A mobile quarterback who can make plays outside of the pocket and on the ground is a must.
In Week 3, Jones rushed for 28 yards and two touchdowns on four carries. To put that in perspective, Manning has just one career game in which he rushed for more than 25 yards (34 yards, 2009). He’s also never had a game in which he rushed for more than one touchdown. Obviously, Manning isn’t known as a scrambler or as a runner, but this is surprising nonetheless.
Not only was Jones able to buy time with his legs, but he was able to be a dynamic runner, as well. In the games most critical play, Jones was able to use his legs to score the game-winning touchdown on 4th and 5.
4th and 5 and Daniel Jones beats the Buccaneers with his legs. pic.twitter.com/GIXbUpzST5
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 23, 2019
That’s the most challenging part about defending a dual-threat quarterback. The coverage could be tremendous, and the pass-rush could be buzzing. But a quarterback who can use his legs to make plays can be demoralizing for a defense. Jones’ legs are going to make the Giants’ offense so much more dynamic, especially when Saquon Barkley returns to the lineup. Look for New York to implement more zone reads and read-option runs for Jones as the season goes along.
It’s still too early to judge whether or not Jones is the answer at quarterback for the Giants. But one thing is for sure is that he renewed the sense of optimism with the team. While this might not be a playoff team in 2019, the Giants are going to be must-see TV for the rest of the season as Jones brings back some excitement to New York’s offense.
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