Getty Pro Football Focus has changed their tune on Giants' Daniel Jones, who took home their Offensive Player of the Week honor for his stellar performance against Washington.
Ever since the New York Giants drafted quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Pro Football Focus has been highly critical of the Duke product.
However, they have now changed their tune regarding Jones, after his stellar performance against the Washington Football Team in Week 2. Despite the Giants’ latest soul-crushing 30-29 defeat to Washington, Jones was excellent going 22-of-32 for 249 yards and one passing touchdown with a passer rating of 102.2. He also rushed for 95 rushing yards on nine carries, while scoring a touchdown on the ground.
This impressive display ultimately earned him the honor of PFF’s Offensive Player of the Week, as Jones led all quarterbacks in the NFL in total completions on passes 10+ yards down the field with 11. According to PFF: he “also led the position in positively graded throws and recorded the week’s lowest negatively graded throw rate.”
The 24-year-old earned the highest overall grade of his career, 91.3, as well as an elite passing grade of 90.7.
“Jones didn’t let pressure disrupt the timing of the offense, standing tall in the pocket and delivering accurate throws,” wrote PFF’s Anthony Treash. “He also showed off the impact he can make in the running game with three runs of 10-plus yards, tying Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts for the most of the week.”
Through the first two games of the regular season, Jones holds the sixth-highest overall grade among NFL quarterbacks at 83.8. Jones’ 85.4 passing grade is the second-best mark in the league behind only Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (91.8).
In two contests, Jones has two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns, with only one turnover, which came on a fumble in Week 1. The third-year signal caller holds a completion rate of 63.8%, along with 516 passing yards. He has also rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries (8.1 yards per attempt).
Although the Giants are 0-2 for the fifth straight season, losing on a last-second field goal to Washington in Week 2, Jones has showed signs of improvement so far in his third career season.
Engram Nearing a Return
The Giants are close to getting back a key member of their offense ahead of their Week 3 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Tight end Evan Engram (calf strain) has begun ramping up his activity during practice, and it appears as though he is destined to make his regular season debut against the Falcons this Sunday on September 26.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Engram was moving well during Monday’s practice, which makes this week a realistic possibility for his return.
The fifth-year tight end had an impressive training camp and preseason, but suffered a calf strain in the Giants’ exhibition finale against the New England Patriots on August 29.
Once Engram comes back, his presence should provide a much-needed boost to a Giants’ offense that showed major progress last week.
Engram is set to play on the final year of his rookie contract, and is looking to make his mark in order to earn his next contract in the NFL.
Gates Placed on IR
The Giants officially placed offensive lineman Nick Gates on injured reserve on Tuesday.
Gates, who was recently moved from center to guard, fractured his lower leg in the first quarter against Washington in Week 2, before undergoing surgery on Friday morning.
Gates was named a captain prior to the start of the regular season, and losing him for the indefinite future is a major blow for a Giants offensive line that has struggled through the early portion of the season.
This loss stings even more after the Giants also placed starting left guard Shane Lemieux on I.R. with a torn patellar tendon in his knee on Thursday.
With Gates and Lemieux out, Billy Price (center) and Ben Bredeson (left guard) will take their spots along the offensive line.
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PFF Changes Their Tune on Giants’ Daniel Jones