Daniel Jones: Giants Need to Do This to Beat Washington Next Week

The New York Giants, who were routed 48-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, never gave themselves a chance.

After spotting the Eagles a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter, the Giants finally scored on a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Daniel Jones to receiver Isaiah Hodgins.

But the Giants, who would score 15 more points, eight of those coming in garbage time, were never in this one and know that with a huge game coming up next week against the Washington Commanders, they better get off to a faster start.

“We can’t afford to get off to a slow start like that," said Jones. "Didn’t do much those first two drives and fell behind. We got to do something to catch ourselves and make a play and get going. It was disappointing we weren’t able to do that.”

The Giants have struggled to get off to a fast start all season long, but of late, it's been coming back to haunt them, as it did this week. Jones and the Giants faced a very stout Eagles defense that did not have a weakness. Their talent on the front seven showed early, as Jones was sacked twice on the game's opening drive by Eagles pass rushers Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick.

The Giants allowed seven sacks to the Eagles, four on Jones and three on backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The offensive line, especially on the interior, is a serious need once the offseason comes and their weaknesses showed.

“I mean, they’re a good rush. They’re good up front. We knew that going into the game," Jones said of the constant pressure he faced. "I don’t think that changed anything we were doing or our approach going forward. Yeah, we got to find a way to make a play. Got to find a way to score some points and get going a little earlier in the game.”

Jones believes that the blowout loss on Sunday gave the team an honest assessment of where they need to improve.

“I think it can. They’re a good team. Philadelphia is a really good team, and we could see today we aren’t where we need to be. At the same time, we did some things well we can build off of. We got to come back to work and come back ready to go. I think no one is losing confidence; no one is pointing fingers or anything like that. We’re just getting back ready to work and looking forward to this huge opportunity against Washington.”

Speaking of Washington, the stakes just got even bigger for the Giants’ rematch next Sunday on primetime. The Commanders and the Giants now share the same record at 7-5-1. Washington currently owns one divisional win, so they’re ahead of the Giants. But with Carolina having knocked off Settle, the Giants are clinging to the seventh seed in the playoff race, down one spot from where they started the day.

Can the Giants, who are tied against Washington and coming off a deflating loss to the Eagles, pull themselves together for next week's huge matchup?

“I think we’ve got to be very honest about what it is that we didn’t do well today and what led to the result," Jones said.

"At the same time, we got to correct that and then move forward, move past it. Understand that no one is going to feel sorry for us. It’s up to us to fix it and move forward. Everything we want to achieve is still out in front of us. The guys understand that, and I’m confident we’ll bounce back and have a great week of practice and prepare to play well on Sunday night.”

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