In week five, Daniel Jones will face his toughest test yet. Not the test of handling the New York media, which Daniel has done exceptionally well for a rookie quarterback. Not acclimating to the pro game after taking over for a franchise legend, which Daniel has also handled extraordinarily. This week, Jones faces an even more complex test.
This test is the test of taking on the New England Patriots led by Bill Belichick. It is against this team that former Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning cemented his legacy. And it is against this team that Daniel Jones can prove he has what it takes to survive in the NFL.
Daniel Jones ushers in a new era of New York Giants football. Jones faced a tough Minnesota defense last week and did not have his best game, understandably. But this week, Daniel will travel to Foxborough and compete against the best defense in the NFL. And Daniel will have to face this team short-handed.
An Offense Riddled With Injuries
The New York Giants have officially ruled out Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Wayne Gallman. Shepard will be out this week and maybe longer dealing with his second concussion of the season. Barkley is still dealing with an ankle injury and may have been advised by the doctors to continue nursing his ankle until next week. Evan Engram, who has been having a breakout season, is dealing with some sort of knee injury that will keep him out of this week’s contest, too. Lastly, Wayne Gallman also has a concussion, so the Giants are going into this game without their top two running backs.
This does not leave Daniel Jones with many healthy teammates on offense. Fortunately, his offensive line is healthy. Unfortunately, key pieces of the offensive line, like Nate Solder and Jon Halapio, have been underperforming.
The Giants’ offensive line will need to have a great game if it wants to give Daniel Jones a chance to make some plays. His top receivers will be Golden Tate and Cody Latimer and his top running back will be former practice squad member Jonathan Hilliman. All three of these playmakers need to exceed expectations in order to make things easier for Daniel Jones.
What Daniel Jones Has To Go Up Against:
The New England Patriots have the best secondary in the NFL and it is not even close. Through the first five weeks of the season, the Patriots have yet to allow an opposing team to score a passing touchdown. They are the seventh team to do this since 1940, and the first team to do it in the last thirty years.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones rank first and fourth, respectively, in overall grade among cornerbacks. The Patriots’ defense also features cornerback Stephon Gilmore, PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in 2018.
It is not only going to be difficult for Daniel Jones to get the ball in the end zone but for him to get the ball down the field will be a challenge of its own. The Pats’ current opposing passer rating of 44.0 is the lowest allowed through five games since 1996. Not to mention, Daniel will have to deal with a devastating New England pass-rush that has totaled 24 sacks, the most by any team through five games since 2000.
One area on offense that the Giants really struggled at in the first two weeks of the season was third-down conversions. The Giants improved on this once Daniel Jones was named the starter in week three. But now Daniel Jones is going to have to go up against a historically transcendent third-down defense. The Patriots (12.7 percent) are the first team since 1991 to allow a third-down conversion percentage lower than a 20.0.
The Patriots’ fierce pass-rush and air-tight pass coverage will make it arduous for Danny to toss any Dimes in week five.