New York Giants‘ quarterback Daniel Jones has made strides since taking over the starting job back in Week 3. Now, with weapons on offense back in play, Jones is ready to take another surge.
Daniel Jones burst onto the scene in his debut back in Week 3, leading the New York Giants to a come from behind victory in which he threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns. But since then, Jones has reminded everyone that he is still a rookie and that some growing pains are needed in order to develop for the future.
That’s been apparent in his last two outings, in which Daniel Jones and the Giants offense have faced off against arguably two of the NFL’s premier defenses in the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. Jones managed to hold his own and did so without key offensive players like Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard in the fold.
Come Sunday however, that is about to change, and we very well may see another surge for Daniel Jones and this Giants’ offense.
New York is welcoming the return of Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram, who both practiced fully on Friday and were cleared for action on Sunday against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.
In a battle between the top two quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft, both Murray and Jones are set to put on display the skills that warranted their respective franchises for selecting them. Only now, Jones has some new weapons around him that should help make his job easier, and provide an opportunity to take another step forward.
Daniel Jones has not played a single snap with his offense together at full health (meaning his top weapons in Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard, and Golden Tate). Shepard has been ruled out once again on Sunday, but three out of four is better than none.
The Giants have mustered just 64 and 52 rushing yards respectively in their last two outings, and despite missing nearly half the season Saquon Barkley is still the Giants’ leading rusher. His presence in the backfield should keep defenses honest and allow Daniel Jones’ more opportunities to be aggressive in the air.
After missing last week’s game against New England, Evan Engram will look to get right back where he started. Engram leads the Giants in catches (33), receiving yards (373) and touchdown receptions with two this season. After averaging just 171 yards passing in the past two weeks, Jones has a great opportunity to attack through the air with Engram back and suited up.
Games like Jones’ electric debut against Tampa Bay may very well be on the horizon, especially with a favorable schedule with a majority of games at home coming up. Without so many offensive weapons, Jones had a tall task at hand but very much held his own.
Now, he has a restocked offense to take another surge, and there is no better opportunity to do so then when the number one pick Kyler Murray and the Cardinals come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday.