Skip to main content

Daniel Jones Unable to Set Offensive Tone With Saquon Barkley Out

Quarterback Nick Mullens and the 49ers offense delivered the kind of performance the Giants one day hope to see their offense deliver every week.

On a day of all days that the Giants needed quarterback Daniel Jones to step up, he ended up being outplayed by an undrafted free agent in a 36-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Jones and 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens came into Week 3 with shorthanded supporting casts but handled their respective circumstances in harsh contrast.

Mullens, filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo, was without tight end George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel, and running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman. 

Still, he led San Francisco to its highest offensive output of the season, while Jones, who was without receiver Sterling Shepard and running back Saquon Barkley, couldn't even lead a drive into the 49ers' red zone. 

The Giants also did reach the red zone on their last play of the game, when Jones found Darius Slayton on a 22-yard pass. However, Slayton fumbled the ball away at the 49ers' 19-yard line and Jones' day was over after that. 

Despite racking up a team-leading 49 rushing yards on a handful of gutsy runs, Jones had arguably his worst game as a pro, completing 17 of 39 passes for 179 yards and one interception. He also committed a costly fumble in the first quarter that the 49ers turned into a field goal.

“We look at each one of those individually and try to understand what happened and what the mistake was and move on from it," Jones said. "I need to do a better job and that’s what I’m focused on. Those are costly mistakes and certainly, I need to correct it." 

Neither quarterback was in the business of making excuses about the injuries around them. However, the difference is only one backed up that sentiment with resolve on the field. It just so happen to be the quarterback that was playing due to injuries himself.

"We have a lot of good football players and we're very well aware of that," Mullens said. 

"We got 53 guys who are ready to work and do their job and step up when their number is called and I think that's what we did today."

Meanwhile, if the Giants had to come up with a gameplan to prove they can move the ball without Barkley in the backfield, but Sunday should send them back to the drawing board. 

Jones' play on the field sent a statement that he is not quite the same quarterback without Barkley on the field. 

While Jones might be capable of leading a winning effort without Barkley, Sunday's performance indicated that Jones and the offense are not there yet.

Meanwhile, give credit where it's due, as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan put together an effective game plan in which Mullens could thrive. 

Mullens deserves a lot of credit for how he performed, but the truth is that he has been in the system a little longer than Jones has been in Jason Garrett's, so there is a certain degree of comfort there, no doubt. 

So what's next for the Giants? Simply put, they're going to go back to the drawing board and hope to get this figured out.

"We’re not looking for excuses, not pointing fingers, not looking for shortcuts," head coach Joe Judge said. 

"We’re going to do everything we can to make sure we will put a product on the field people of this area can be proud of. We’ll be working our butt off to improve the product going forward."