Daniel Jones was not able to keep the New York Giants competitive against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, but he did get a good amount of support afterward, including from one of his former teammates.
The Giants suffered a 28–6 loss to the Vikings in Week 1. In the contest, Jones completed a subpar 22-42 pass attempts for 186 passing yards and a forgettable 0-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Following the blowout loss, Jones’ former teammate and current Philadelphia Eagles superstar running back Saquon Barkley offered him words to pick his confidence up.
Former Giants RB Saquon Barkley sends supportive message to QB Daniel Jones
According to ESPN’s Tim McManus on X, Barkley had this to say to the media to and about the Duke University product at this early juncture of the season (h/t: ClutchPoints’ Jay Postrado which came via Yahoo Sports):
“I was there for six years and I have got friends there. No bad feelings for those guys and hopefully they bounce back and get in the groove. I talked to him. I’m really good friends with DJ. Obviously, for me it was just to let him know to go out there and play free,” the former Giants ball-carrier said.
Jones will have to play free behind the Giants’ offensive line despite talented roster
Jones may still be feeling the after-effects of not only his torn ACL that he rehabbed for close to a year leading up to Week 1, but also the Giants’ inept offensive line. The unit was historically bad in 2023, letting up 85 sacks — the second-most allowed in a season in NFL history. In Week 1, Jones was sacked five times against Minnesota.
The Giants need their offense to be free-flowing this season, and that will start and end with how the North Carolina native orchestrates the show. The 27-year-old is already under a wave of media scrutiny, and the press won’t get off of his case until he proves that he can lead the Giants to a level of success in accordance with the amount of talent they have at their disposal, which should amount to a fight for one of the final NFC Wild Card spots for the 2024 NFL playoffs.
Barkley’s support of Jones is commendable. But, once the division rivals square off later this year, both will be hoping to come away victorious.
