New York Giants: Assessing Daniel Jones over the past two weeks

New York Giants, Daniel Jones
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 02: Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants looks to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at MetLife Stadium on November 02, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

If we travel all the way back to Week 8 when the New York Giants played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New York. The Giants’ defense played very well, and the offensive line had their best game of the season. There was just a significant piece the Giants needed to win, and he did not perform up to par, Daniel Jones. After that loss to the Buccaneers, Giants fans and analysts were hopping off the Daniel Jones train.

The last two weeks of football from Jones have given Giants hope to make the playoffs and hope they have found their franchise quarterback. In the past two weeks, Jones hasn’t thrown an interception or fumbled the ball. These were the two major factors holding Jones back from being a successful quarterback in the NFL. Jones still has tons of more work to be done to become one of the league’s best quarterbacks, but he’s only trending up.

What does the film say?

After watching every professional game for Jones as a Giant, he’s improving. I will make it simple for everyone understands. Jones needed a good running game. I am not saying Saquon Barkley is a bad running back at all, but when you have Barkley as your running back, teams out eight in the box. It is very hard for a running back to be consistent when you have eight in the box. Recently, with Barkley going down due to injury, teams have not been putting eight in the box. Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris have been able to run the ball effectively for Big Blue. Guess what? When you have a good running game, it opens up the passing game.

The fumbling

The film also shows in the past couple of weeks, Jones has been getting the ball out of his hand very quickly. Jones is learning to throw the under route or the check down to his tight end/ running back. If your first or second read is not there, stuff like that is okay. Doing that too much could get you in some trouble. Jones before had a tendency to hold the ball in the pocket and wait and wait for his receiver to get open, to make the big play. When you hold the ball in the pocket too long, what happens? You get sacked. When you get sacked, what has a chance to happen? You fumble.

The interceptions

The film shows that Jones is not forcing the ball to his receivers as much. The biggest reason why the Giants lost the game to the Buccaneers was Jones forced two passes to his receivers, both of those passes were intercepted. In the past two weeks, Jones has been able to get the ball out of his hand quickly to his receivers, and if not, he has thrown the ball away, or he has checked down to his running back/tight end.

Jones has taken a few massive leaps these past couple of weeks by taking care of the football. If Jones can consistently have success as he has recently has done, the Giants have found their franchise quarterback

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