After a complete beatdown at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants finally threw in the towel. With less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the New York Giants benched Eli Manning. Inserted into the lineup was sixth overall pick QB Daniel Jones.
Daniel Jones is in the game with 1:46 left in the game. His debut. Down 35-17.
Daniel Jones would go on to complete mop-up duty with a respectable three for four passing line, for a grand total of 17 yards. Jones did flash his ability to move the ball with his feet, something that may be crucial for the Giants this season.
The Daniel Jones era is starting off HOT
Jones will have to show better ball security next time. Yet his ability to keep defenders honest is a new sprinkle in an offense that is vanilla as it gets.
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The Danny Dimes Chatter is Here to Stay
The last thing the New York Giants wanted to do entering week one of the season was to start a quarterback controversy. After months of preaching the team is Eli’s, and how they hope Jones doesn’t play a single snap this season, the rookie QB was inserted into the lineup in his first NFL game.
Whether good or bad for the team, fans and media alike will be clamoring for Jones to unseat Eli earlier than later. However, we should all be careful about what we ask for.
Eli managed to produce some mildly impressive statistics, throwing for 300+ yards on 30 of 44 passing. Although, plenty of those yards were gained in garbage time. However, Eli can only do so much for a team so desperate for skill players. Saquon Barkley did his usual thing, once again breaking the 100-yard barrier. Tight end Evan Engram looks to have evolved his game this season, as many of us expected. Yet, aside from those two, no player strikes fear in the defense’s eyes.
The last thing we want to do is have Jones take over a team that is ill-prepared to help him develop.
Disappointing From the Get-Go
For all his faults, Eli Manning didn’t have much help on the day.
After not fumbling the entirety of his rookie season, Giants all-pro running back Saquon Barkley fumbled on New York’s inaugural offensive play of 2019. Unfortunately, the rest of the game didn’t get much better from there.
Barkley would follow up the blunder with an explosive 59-yard gash up the right side of the Dallas defense. New York would close out that drive with a one-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to tight end Evan Engram. That drive would mark the last time the Giants would score a meaningful touchdown for the rest of the game.
Defensively Offensive
The New York Giants are extremely young on defense. We all expected growing pains, however, we didn’t expect this, or maybe we just didn’t want to admit that this is where we’re at.
The Giants let Dak Prescott, a quarterback that most defenses prefer to be the Cowboy with the ball in his hands, completely pick apart our defense.
Dak and the Cowboys wrangled the Giants in Dallas, winning 35-17 @brgridiron
⭐️ 25-32 passing
⭐️ 405 yards
⭐️ 4 TD
⭐️ 158.3 passer rating
Cowboys baby faced offensive coordinator Kellen Moore unleashed the most explosive offense Dallas has seen in years. Dallas’ offense gained yards at will vs. New York’s piss-poor defense.
However, there were some bright spots to build on, especially the play of rookie Ryan Connely.
I like this play from Ryan Connelly
Connelly flashed the speed and agility needed from a modern-day NFL linebacker. Connelly deserves more playing time in the Giants defense and should likely land a starting gig in the following weeks.
Where Do the Giants Go From Here?
The obvious answer would be to go with Daniel Jones, let him take his bruises, and hopefully develop into a viable starting quarterback. However, the obvious answer is not always the right answer. New York’s team lacks the talent on offense needed for any quarterback to succeed for long periods of time, rookie or not.
Pat Shurmur needs to go back to the drawing board and implement a quick and efficient passing game. Sterling Shepard needs to be a much bigger part of the offense, producing just 44-yards receiving just doesn’t cut it. Not when Jamison Crowder, slot receiver of the New York Jets, your in-state rival, who many would argue is a less talented version of Shepard is doubling his statistical output.
Whether you like it or not, Eli Manning is the best option the Giants have at quarterback, for the purpose of winning the season, and for the purpose of developing Jones as the future.
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Eli Manning Benched vs. Cowboys: Daniel Jones’ Final Stats