New York Giants QB Daniel Jones has come back down to earth after his stellar first career start. After throwing for 336 yards and accounting for three touchdowns against the Buccaneers, Jones has struggled. In the three games since, he’s compiled 568 passing yards, three total touchdowns, six interceptions, and a mediocre 59.7 passer rating. Obviously, Jones wasn’t going to be throwing for over 300 yards a game, no rookie QB ever has. But should his poor play concern the Big Blue faithful? Simply put, no – and here’s why.
Why Daniel Jones’ Recent Struggles Shouldn’t Cause Concern for Giants Fans
The teams he’s faced
The past two weeks Jones has faced super-bowl contending teams. Both of those teams, Minnesota and New England, have top-five defenses in the NFL. Minnesota is giving up just 310.3 yards of offense per game, while New England surrenders a league-low 234.7 yards of offense per game.
No rookie QB is going to perform well against a top-five defense. They are going to show growing pains, make poor decisions, but most importantly, they are going to learn. Daniel Jones already has a number of mistakes to learn from, and by the end of the season, he will be a much more polished QB.
The lack of support around him
Star running back Saquon Barkley has not played since Jones’ first start against Tampa Bay. Backup running back Wayne Gallman has missed the past two games with a concussion. WR Sterling Shepard and TE Evan Engram were both absent from the game against New England due to injury. WR Golden Tate returned from his four-game suspension just two weeks ago.
Daniel Jones is yet to play a snap with all of his weapons on the field at once. In the game against New England, Jones’ offensive weapons were RB Jon Hilliman, WR’s Golden Tate and Darius Slayton, and TE Rhett Ellison. Those players are a major drop-off from when the team is at full-strength. With no playmakers to help him, Jones has had no chance against the elite defenses he’s faced.
Every rookie QB struggles
The greatest quarterbacks of all time did not come on to the NFL scene and immediately become MVP candidates. Peyton Manning, a 4x MVP and future Hall of Famer, holds the record for the most interceptions by a rookie QB with 28. Eli Manning, a 2x Super Bowl MVP and current backup QB of the Giants, went 1-6 his rookie year. Terry Bradshaw, a 4x Super Bowl champion and 1x MVP, threw 24 interceptions and just six touchdowns during his rookie campaign.
Daniel Jones will show growing pains this year. He will make mistakes that will cost the Giants games. He will throw interceptions at the absolute worst times. He will do what every rookie QB does – struggle. But with all of those struggles and mistakes, Jones will show signs that he has what it takes to be one of the best in the game. No fan should be concerned about Jones’ play. He is just a kid, after all.