Although he could not lead the New York Giants to a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones had plenty of vocal supporters after Week 3.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll said in his postgame press conference that Jones is “making progress” this season.
“He’s making progress.”
@Giants head coach Brian Daboll is happy with Daniel Jones’ performance against the Cowboys 👏
“I thought he did a good job,” Daboll said (h/t CBS Sports HQ). “I thought he made a lot of loose plays. He had what, about 80 yards rushing? He did a good job keeping his eyes downfield when he could get out. He made a couple plays there at the end that we couldn’t quite convert on, had some dropped passes. The last play that [Cowboys cornerback Trevon] Diggs picked off, [wide receiver David] Sills fell down. It was a timing throw.
“I think he’s making progress. It’s tough after a loss, you know? Nobody did well enough, and we understand that. But I think he’s making progress. He fought, he battled. He made some really good plays out there under some duress.”
Jones was pressured on 24 drop-backs against the Cowboys, according to ESPN Stats & Info (via Jordan Raanan on Twitter). That figure set a new record for a Giants QB and also brought Jones’ season-long pressure rate up to 40.8 percent of his drop-backs.
Daniel Jones was pressured on 24 dropbacks Monday night. Most in NFL this season, per @ESPNStatsInfo. Most by a Giants QB since ESPN began tracking pressures in 2009.
Jones now pressured on 40.8% snaps this season, second only to Justin Fields.
Giants-Bears on Sunday.
Despite the constant pressure, Jones completed 20 of his 37 pass attempts (54.1 percent) for 196 yards. He did not throw any touchdown passes, and his only interception of the game came when wide receiver David Sills slipped on a route late in the fourth quarter.
Jones made several plays with his legs on Monday night, finishing with nine rush attempts for 79 yards (8.8 yards per carry). Although he was able to scramble and avoid the rush several times, the Cowboys ultimately sacked him five times for a total of 27 yards.
Jon Feliciano Defends Daniel Jones After Cowboys Loss
Brian Daboll wasn’t the only one defending Daniel Jones after the Week 3 loss. Veteran Center Jon Feliciano also offered full-throated support of his quarterback.
“He went out there and played his balls off and I mean everything he did,” Feliciano said of Jones after the game, per Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. “We gotta just have his back.”
Jones managed to get this pass off before the hit, but here’s a good representation of what the Cowboys pass rush was able to do to New York’s pass protection all night:
Micah Parsons is a one man wrecking crew 💪 @MicahhParsons11
📺: #DALvsNYG on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/D62zaILv7u
Although the Giants managed to keep Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (zero sacks, one tackle) in check, rookie right tackle Evan Neal had a rough outing against DeMarcus Lawrence. The veteran pass rusher racked up three sacks while working primarily against Neal.
While the pass protection struggled, Jones’ legs helped the Giants offense finish with some respectable rushing numbers in Week 3 (167 yards, 6.7 yards per carry).
Brandon Jacobs Makes The Call on Daniel Jones
Former Giants players are also showing support for Daniel Jones, one of them being legendary running back Brandon Jacobs. The two-time Super Bowl-winner shared his thoughts on Jones after the game.
Stop blaming DJ
“Stop blaming DJ,” Jacobs wrote on Twitter.
Jacobs played his entire Giants career with Eli Manning, who also faced his share of struggles before finding his footing as New York’s franchise quarterback. It remains to be seen whether Jones can establish himself in a similar way.
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Brian Daboll, Giants Players Voice Support For QB Daniel Jones