Upon Further Review: A Lot of Good from QB Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones's night against the Patriots had a lot of good in it. Sadly, the bad, when combined with the outcome of the game, detracted from an otherwise positive showing.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Aug 30, 2021 10:35 AM EDT

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones's play in his lone preseason appearance can probably be best described as a sharp-dressed young man wearing a new designer suit--complete with a big ol' gravy stain for all the world to see.

Jones, the Giants' third-year quarterback of whom we have heard nothing but good things about how hard he works, how his football intelligence is off the charts, how much of a vocal leader he really is, and any other superlative you can think of put many of those traits on display in the Giants' 22-20 preseason loss to the Patriots.

There was enough good to Jones's game to offer encouragement. On his first possession, which was a three-and-out drive, Jones, instead of trying to force the ball into a tight window, took the sack (throwing it away would have been the better option).

Still, the point is he didn't foolishly try to force something that wasn't there absorbed a sack on third down and protecting the ball as he was wrestled to the ground.

On the second series, Jones's new suit got a little bit of the gravy on it when he missed an open receiver and failed to make a quick throw; instead, he absorbed his second sack of the night.

It's no secret that Jones's mental processing speed in his first two seasons has been an issue, especially when he's had to make quick decisions and, as is often the case, improvise if his first option isn't there. In this case, the open receiver looked to be his first read, so why he didn't get the ball out of his hand is a mystery.

But we all might forgive this little splash of gravy on Jones's suit thanks to a bold play on a 3rd-and-13 when he threw a dart to receiver Darius Slayton, a ball that was perfectly placed but dropped by the receiver. Yes, it counts as an incompletion, but there wasn't much else Jones could have done on the play short of catching the ball himself.

Where Jones did get some cooperation from his receiver is on a 22-yard completion on yet another third-and-long, this one coming early in the second quarter, a throw as close to perfect as can be.

Worth noting regarding Jones's play is that he is good at getting the ball out of his hands fast enough when under pressure, of which he was on 36.8% of his pass attempts Sunday. But when opposing defenses sit on the short throws and take those away while also charging full speed at the offensive line, that forces him to hold the ball longer and thus expedite his decision-making.

Now about that interception in the end zone to tight end Evan Engram, the biggest gravy stain of all. Yes, an argument could be made that Engram drifted in the route rather than sitting still.

But Jones must take some of the blame for that play as well because the throw had panic written all over it (he was under duress on the play) and the throw, across his body, wasn't exactly on target.

Jones might have been better off trying to throw it out of the end zone, but as he always has done, he tried to make a play when at least in that instance, there was none to be made.

"Obviously, a bad decision there," he said. "I gotta be smarter and throw the ball away in that situation, third-and-goal at the one."

On his final drive of the second quarter, Jones went against the Patriots'' second-team defense, which didn't bring the pressure as much. And to his credit, Jones finished off the evening well, making a good decision on a 3rd-and-2 when he tucked the ball down and ran.

And his 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kaden Smith up the seam was a thing of beauty which put Jones's arm--his deep ball is a strength that we hope offensive coordinator Jason Garrett finds a way to use more often--on display.

Jones finished the game 17 of 22 for 135 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for an 88.3 rating when it was all done.

"I thought he did some positive things," head coach Joe Judge said after the game. "I have some things that we want to go ahead and make sure we improve on.

"Saw a lot of improvement throughout the last couple of weeks, the competitive practices...Today was a good opportunity for him to get out there, had a lot of situational work, did some good things to build on."