The Giants are hoping that quarterback Daniel Jones can recover enough from a neck injury he sustained against the Miami Dolphins that he can start against the New York Jets this upcoming Sunday afternoon.
The Jets have a formidable defense, coming off a big win against the Philadelphia Eagles. They will be no easy opponent, and the Giants’ offense will need to play at their peak potential if they want to walk away victorious.
With that being said, some may argue that Tyrod Taylor is the better option right now over Jones, but the Giants aren’t going to bench a quarterback they just handed a $160 million contract to over four years. Fortunately for Jones, if he is able to play in Week 8, star left tackle Andrew Thomas is also expected to make his long-awaited return.
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The Giants Need Andrew Thomas Back Badly
The Giants’ offensive line has been one of the worst in football this season, giving up 121 pressures and 22 sacks across seven weeks. They were far better against the Washington Commanders despite several backups and practice squad-level players filling starting positions. It was a valiant effort, but Thomas sliding in at left tackle should give the Giants far more confidence and efficiency from their line.
This would allow Justin Pugh to slide back into the left guard spot, given John Michael-Schmitz isn’t ready to return from his shoulder injury. If JMS is able to play, Ben Bredeson would fall back into left guard, and Pugh would then become the first option reserve for multiple positions. That would provide the Giants with a massive influx of talent since Thomas is one of the best left tackles in football, and JMS is the best center on the team by a considerable margin, even though Bredesen performed well against Washington.
While Tyrod has managed to throw the ball deep on multiple occasions and expand the field with a bad offensive line in front of him, Jones needs protection to operate the unit at a high level. There’s no question that Jones has more upside, but he needs at least a competent level of protection to get going.
The Giants will need to be firing on all cylinders to beat the Jets, who have one of the best defenses in football. Their offense doesn’t have much flair with Zach Wilson under center, but they have a dominant run game led by Breece Hall. The Giants’ defense has been excellent the last few weeks, so this could be a low-scoring game that grinds out into the fourth quarter.