Getty Find out why former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer believes in Giants' Daniel Jones.
Despite receiving a massive amount of scrutiny after an embarrassing 27-13 Week 1 loss to the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants have a short turnaround, as they are set to play the Washington Football Team on Thursday night.
While the Giants’ defense had a massive letdown in their first contest, quarterback Daniel Jones also drew criticism for his continuous turnover issues, after losing a fumble late in the game.
Although Jones has now coughed the ball up 30 times in 27 career starts, one former Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Trent Dilfer, still believes he can become one of the great ones.
“I see the toughness, I see the grit, I see the resilience, I see enough talent,” Dilfer told CBS Sports Radio’s Damon Amendolara. “I see all the intangible stuff that’s going to allow him to survive what is going to be a horrific narrative of him giving games away. And we both know how narratives go in the NFL. Perception becomes reality. Narratives become the focal point, the headliners. And he’s going to have to get through this turnover thing – and he will because I think he’s the right kind of kid.”
As Jones showed once again on Sunday, he is capable of making some impressive plays, including a 42-yard strike to Darius Slayton on the opening drive of the game. However, he hasn’t been able to avoid making critical mistakes such as his latest fumble.
But based off what Dilfer has seen from him, he feels it is only a matter of time until Jones overcomes these turnover issues.
“When he does – and I don’t think it’s an if, it’s a when,” Dilfer said. “When he does, and as they get more talented up front, they gotta get better up front. When those things happen, I think this is probably a next year thing to be honest with you. You’ll see flashes of it this year. But when he does, he’s going to be one of the better players in the NFL.
“I don’t think he’s gonna be a flash-and-sizzle guy all the time. I think he’s going to grow into one of these great quarterbacks that makes everybody around him better because of what he’s gone through, what he’s endured, what he’s had to fight through. And his team’s gonna be like, ‘Listen, if that guy can do it, we can do it.’”
The Giants are 8-19 in Jones’ career as a starter across three seasons. The offense was underwhelming again in their first game of action in Week 1. But Jones and co. have a chance to re-write the narrative moving forward, and Dilfer is confident this will happen.
Washington Killer
With the Giants looking to get their first win of the season against Washington tomorrow night, one aspect leaning in their favor is the recent success they’ve endured against their division rivals.
Since Jones took over as the starter for New York in 2019, he is 4-0 against Washington. He has also produced a passer rating of 100.0, while throwing eight touchdown passes to just three interceptions in these matchups.
If there was ever a time for Jones to continue this positive trend, it is now. By keeping his winning streak alive against Washington, Jones’ Giants can avoid starting the season off 0-2 for the fifth straight season.
Peppers’ Lack of Playing Time
Fifth-year safety Jabrill Peppers had an impressive 2020 campaign for the Giants, posting 91 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception and 11 passes defensed in 15 games.
But on Sunday, Peppers’ role was shockingly diminished against the Broncos, as he only logged 30 out of his team’s 66 defensive snaps in this contest.
And it’s safe to say that Peppers’ wasn’t exactly thrilled with how things played out last week.
“It’s different….you could say that,” Peppers told reporters of his decreased role.
Peppers was also unsure of how much playing time he will receive on Thursday evening against Washington.
“That’s week-to-week. That’s something you’ve got to talk to Joe [Judge] about,” Peppers said in his press conference earlier in the week.
According to head coach Joe Judge, we shouldn’t be reading into snap counts in September since the first month of the season is mainly about roster evaluation.
The Giants’ defense was expected to be a strength coming into the season. But in their first game, they couldn’t get off the field. They also allowed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to have a field day, throwing for 264 yards and two touchdown passes.
Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of time to clean things up, as they are already about to embark on their Week 2 matchup tomorrow night.