Daniel Jones had a tough day against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
After his New York Giants dug a big hole, Jones ended the day on the bench. With the Eagles leading by 25 points early in the fourth quarter, the Giants brought in backup quarterback Drew Lock in place of Jones. The Eagles held on for a 28-3 win as ex-Giants running back Saquon Barkley sparked the Philadelphia offense against his former team.
After the game, head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that the benching was not permanent. Jones will continue as New York’s starting quarterback.
“We made a change in the fourth quarter when it was 28-3, we had 100 yards, just to create a spark,” Daboll said. “Daniel will be the quarterback in the future.”
Daniel Jones about bench seat: ‘Not my decision’
Jones told reporters after the game that he was “frustrated” about being benched.
Daniel Jones says it was frustrating to be taken out of the match today:
“I was frustrated, but not my decision. Frustrating for sure. I want to play out there.” pic.twitter.com/T1LvxsKLpL
— Giant Videos (@SNYGiants) October 21, 2024
“It was frustrating,” Jones said of being benched. “You want to play with your teammates and fight to score points and move the ball. So yes. I was frustrated.
‘Not my decision. Frustrating, for sure. I’d like to play outside.’
New York’s offense struggled to move the ball as Jones was pressured all day by an aggressive Eagles defense. When he finished, Jones had completed 14 of 21 passes for 99 yards (4.7 yards per attempt). He recorded seven sacks for a loss of 56 yards. He led New York on a single scoring drive that ended with a 38-yard Greg Joseph field goal just before halftime.
The Giants went into halftime trailing 14-3. They punted on their first two possessions of the second half, totaling 28 yards. The Eagles, meanwhile, doubled their lead with touchdowns on each of their first two drives of the second half, prompting the Giants to move on Lock. The Giants backup fared no better as the Eagles completed a second-half shutout of their NFC East rivals.
Is Daniel Jones the long-term answer at QB in New York?
The loss dropped the Giants to 2-5. And questions continue to swirl around Jones, who has struggled since signing a $160 million contract ahead of the 2023 season.
Jones got the deal despite a turnover-plagued start to his career after the Giants selected him in the top 10 of the 2019 draft. Jones threw 34 interceptions and fumbled 42 times in his first four NFL seasons.
But he limited his mistakes to five interceptions and six fumbles in 2022 as the Giants finished 9-6-1 for their first winning record with Jones at quarterback. The improvement was enough for New York to sign Jones to his new deal.
Jones regressed in 2023, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt and 151.5 passing yards per game with two touchdowns and six interceptions in six starts. His season was cut short in November when he suffered an ACL tear against the Las Vegas Raiders.
It fueled offseason speculation that the Giants would move on from Jones in a draft full of high-end quarterback prospects. New York ultimately decided to select wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick, meaning Jones would remain New York’s quarterback this season.
He shows little sign of improvement in 2024. In six games prior to Sunday, Jones completed 62.1% of his passes for 223.8 yards per game with six touchdowns, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Giants have now scored fewer than ten points in three of their losses and have broken the twenty-point barrier only twice in seven games.
But options moving forward are limited in Week 7, and Jones will remain as New York’s starting quarterback for now.
