Sacrificial tributes in “The Hunger Games” spend less time running for survival than Daniel Jones did against the Cowboys on Monday night.
As impressive as any of Patrick Mahomes’ no-look passes or Lamar Jackson’s electrifying moves was Jones keeping his team competitive under siege from 24 pressures — the most against a Giants quarterback since at least 2009, according to ESPN. Ten of those pressures came from a four-man (no blitz) rush, per NextGenStats.
With the exception of Saquon Barkley’s 36-yard touchdown run, Jones was a one-man band, scrambling nine times for 79 yards and rising to his feet from 12 hits (five sacks).
The failure of the offensive line to protect Jones and of the receivers to gain separation on routes was a big part of the story of the quarterback’s first three turnover-plagued seasons. He is tough enough to take a beating, but is he good enough to consistently make winning plays?
All those muddying factors were supposed to be minimized this season, so that the Giants finally could get a fair read on whether Jones is worthy of a big second contract. Monday was a reminder that the season might end without clarity.
“You never want [breakdowns] to happen, but that’s a good evaluation to get, too, particularly on a quarterback,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “When you’re under pressure or things aren’t always perfect, how can you ad lib and make plays when it’s not just exactly like it is on the play diagram? I thought he did that well.”
The Giants haven’t won enough (14-26 with Jones as a starter) or scored enough (the fewest-points in the NFL since the start of the 2020 season). But that must be measured against the question of how any other quarterback would fare with the Giants’ limitations, which are stacking the odds against Jones.
“He was under some duress,” Daboll said in the understatement of the year. “He escaped. He made some loose plays. He did some things with his feet. He made some good throws. I thought he was really good on the sideline. He’s improved every game. He’s really improved every practice, and he was a good leader out there. And he competed as hard as he could and gave us a chance.”
The Giants had only 10 players on the field — five linemen, two inside linebackers, two safeties and an edge rusher — when Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a game-tying 1-yard touchdown. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale subbed out from a base package that included two cornerbacks on the previous play.
“Wink called for a personnel group, and there was one player that didn’t go in,” Daboll said. “So we need to do a good job of listening to the playcaller’s instructions and be ready to go.”
Guards Ben Bredeson and rookie Josh Ezeudu did not rotate, as they did in the first two games. Ezeudu, whose run-blocking is superior to his pass-blocking, did not play on offense. But the rotation continued at cornerback, where rookie Cor’Dale Flott started on the outside, but played fewer snaps (19) than practice squad call-up Fabian Moreau (39).
RB Antonio Williams — who has played 33 special-teams snaps — was waived and LB Charles Wiley was cut from the practice squad. If Williams clears waivers, he could be re-signed to Wiley’s spot and would be eligible for three game-day elevations to the active roster.
