New York Giants: Chicago’s Defense Will Be A Real Test For Daniel Jones

The New York Giants played their first preseason game last Thursday against the New York Jets. The Giants won the battle of New Jersey 31-22. The game featured solid performances from three Giants quarterbacks, including sixth overall pick Daniel Jones.

Jones had a strong outing versus the Jets despite playing only one drive. The rookie completed all five of his passes for 67 yards and 1 touchdown. Despite this, Daniel Jones still received a lot of criticism from obnoxious media personalities.

Daniel Jones made his first step towards proving doubters wrong in his first preseason game. Jones will get his second opportunity Friday night versus the Chicago Bears. But this game will be even more important for the Giants’ heir apparent.

The Chicago Bears Defense

The Chicago Bears have always been known for their stout, legendary defenses. Their defense in 2018 was the best in the league and they kept most of their talent together this offseason. The Bears’ defense features numerous playmakers that will make it tough on the Giants’ quarterbacks.

It is highly unlikely that Daniel Jones will face the Bears’ full first-team defense. Eli Manning is the team’s starting quarterback and Daniel Jones will come in with the second-string. Manning will have to briefly line up across from the tenacious Khalil Mack and try to thread passes between the likes of Eddie Jackson and Kendall Fuller.

Daniel Jones will not have to face all of that. But he will have to face some of it. The Bears defense did allow only 17.7 points per game in 2018 (best in the NFL), so they must have some serious depth behind their starters. Second-team players like Aaron Lynch and Buster Skrine would certainly be able to find starting jobs with other teams.

The Bears did force 27 total interceptions in 2018. Daniel Jones played a clean game and did not turn the ball over against the Jets. It will be interesting to see if he can keep the ball away from Chicago’s defense.

Daniel Jones Facing Defensive Talent

That was one criticism of Daniel Jones after the Jets game. Arrogant sports talk-show hosts pointed out that Jones did not play against a starter-level defense, so therefore those passes he threw cannot be judged (imagine thinking this way).

Daniel Jones did not exactly play with or against elite talent in college at Duke. The ACC does not produce NFL talent like the SEC or the Big Ten. But Jones is an NFL quarterback now and he will have to face NFL talent. His next test will come Friday night against the Chicago Bears.

Daniel Jones needs to ball out against the Bears just like he did against the Jets to keep the media quiet. Or, actually get the media to praise him for once. The Bears’ defense is no joke. It is time for Daniel Jones to prove that he is not a joke either.