Ever since Daniel Jones’ inception in the NFL, he has yet to play a full game with his entire arsenal of offensive weapons. The New York Giants have consistently been bit by the injury bug in previous years, but they seem to have overcome that awful reality (knock of wood).
The game of football is aggressive and rough, and with the establishment of astroturf, noncontact injuries have become a significant part of the game. Last year, Jones played consistently without Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Saquon Barkley. That is not to mention tight end Evan Engram, who missed half the year with a mid-foot sprain that required surgery.
The New York Giants have plenty of talent to work with, but more is on the way:
Jones started the 2020 campaign with most of his weapons available but were unable to get on the same page and produce points against an elite Pittsburgh Steelers defense. However, the group is hoping to take advantage of the Chicago Bears, which represents a strong unit but not comparable to the Steelers. Chicago allowed 23 points last week to the Detroit Lions, including 138 yards on the ground and 297 through the air. In fact, Detroit was leading for a majority of this game and if not for a DeAndre Swift dropped TD pass, they would have walked away with a win.
Nonetheless, the Giants and Daniel Jones are expected to gain back Golden Tate, their shifty veteran wide receiver. After dealing with a hamstring injury the past few weeks, Tate has made progress during practice and was almost a full participant on Saturday.
“It’s definitely really good to get Golden back in there,†Engram said. “Good veteran player [who] makes big plays week-in and week-out. It will be good to have a full force on offense to go compete.â€
“He’s been working hard with the trainers,†coach Joe Judge said of Tate, “and has progressed nicely.â€
This will be the first time in Jones’ career that he has every single weapon to utilize on Sunday. Hopefully, they can put more than 16 points on the board against Chicago, utilizing creativity and their strengths.
Activating the running game and getting Saquon Barkley involved is a necessity, but Tate represents a strong security blanket for Jones. Jason Garrett showed plenty of two-tight end sets and the desire to run the ball, but Saquon only picked up six-yards on 15 attempts against Pittsburgh.
If Jones can limit his turnovers and they can get the running game going, the Giants can emerge victorious. That is, of course, if the defense can hold their own against Mitchell Trubisky.