It’s a similar start and end of an era for the New York Giants as they suffered another loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Eli Manning has been benched in favor of Daniel Jones, and while he may not have been the sole reason for the team’s woes, he wasn’t the answer either.
For the sixth time in the past seven seasons, the New York Giants have started the regular season with an 0-2 record. The most recent loss came at the hands of a 28-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills. In a manner that resembled Week 1, the Giants found the endzone first, only to see the game quickly get out of reach.
There are plenty of reasons for New York’s 0-2 start: the lack of a pass rush, a suspect secondary, and a decimated receiving corps to name a few. And yet despite being on the tail end of his career, Eli Manning‘s play was not the primary reason for the Giants’ woes.
But make no mistake, he is not the answer going forward either. That is why Daniel Jones is getting his first career start on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Manning completed 26-of-45 passes for 250 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. On paper, that is a sore sight to see. But in reality, place him on a roster with a superb defense, or give him true receiving options to work with (in addition to a franchise running back in Saquon Barkley), and that team could potentially compete on Sundays.
Unfortunately, that team is not the New York Giants, and it’s safe to say that after an 0-2 start, Eli Manning is not the answer going forward. This Giants team may not have Super Bowl or playoff expectations, but they need to be able to compete with opposing teams. We need to see this team have the best shot at countering the opposing team’s punches.
At this stage in his career, Eli Manning is not the answer to achieving that goal. Is Daniel Jones the savior? He could be, then again he may not. But the possibility is there, and that is why he is getting his first shot to prove it Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Eli Manning may not have been the problem, but at this point, it was clear he wasn’t the solution going forward. With Pat Shurmur sticking with the franchise veteran, what good would it have been? It’s just eating away valuable time and opportunities to potentially steer this team and franchise into a better direction.
A direction where hopefully, the loss column refuses to pile up. Daniel Jones, you’re up.