If you were looking for some reassurance that Daniel Jones and the Giants’ offense would be just fine heading into the season, that all the optimistic talk during the offseason and training camp would translate into noticeable improvement on the field … well, there’s good news and bad news.
Yes, there were some promising moments for the third-year quarterback, who is entering a critical season that may well determine whether the team will make a long-term commitment moving forward.
But there were also some troublesome moments that make you wonder whether this season will unfold like the last.
The good: Jones looked sharp on a two-minute drive near the end of the first half that ended with his perfectly thrown 23-yard touchdown pass to Kayden Smith with 25 seconds left in the first half to give the Giants a 7-6 lead over the Patriots in the preseason finale for both teams at MetLife Stadium.
The bad: On second-and-goal from the 1 earlier in the second quarter, Jones rolled to his right and looked for Evan Engram on a shallow crossing route. Jones was under pressure and hurried a throw across his body in Engram’s direction, but the ball was intercepted by defensive back Justin Bethel in the end zone.
Patrick Mahomes he ain’t.
It was shades of 2020, when Jones committed his share of similar mistakes at critical moments in a 6-10 season.
It has been an offseason of supposed improvement and various public proclamations of the Giants’ belief in Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019. From coach Joe Judge to general manager Dave Gettleman to team owner John Mara, the opinion has been unanimous: Jones is good enough to lead this team to an eventual championship.
We won’t know if that’s true for quite some time, and making any sweeping judgments off a preseason game can be a risky proposition. No use doing that here. But it is appropriate to at least view the prospects for this offense in realistic terms. And the fact is this group will need to do a lot of convincing in the coming months to change the narrative and offer evidence that long-term success is possible.
Jones certainly didn’t help with his poor decision under pressure on his interception. Nor did the Giants’ offensive line, which was a continuing source of trouble last season. Left tackle Andrew Thomas, the team’s first-round pick in 2020, looked woeful on Sunday night, giving up two sacks and getting flagged for a holding penalty. Jones was under duress for much of the half, even on plays designed to have him get rid of the ball quickly.
Thomas was being counted on to take a major step forward, but if his performance against the Patriots was any indication, there could be more problems ahead.
The protection did get better later in the half, especially on the two-minute offense Jones ran on his only touchdown drive. He completed a series of underneath throws to get the ball down the field, and he lofted a well-thrown pass to Smith for the touchdown.
Jones was 17-of-22 for 135 yards, one touchdown and an interception in his only game action of the summer. He’ll now have two weeks of practice leading up to the opener, which will be followed by a quick turnaround in a Thursday night road game in Washington.
And in fairness to Jones, he didn’t have many of the weapons he hopes to utilize once the season starts. Free agent receiver Kenny Golladay hasn’t played since injuring a hamstring early in training camp. Saquon Barkley is hoping to return from a torn ACL. And rookie receiver Kadarius Toney has been set back by injury and COVID-19 illness. The Giants hope Evan Engram’s calf injury in the second quarter Sunday night isn’t serious.
Jones figures to get some help down the road, and the addition of several key pieces offers promise. But Jones himself has to demonstrate genuine and consistent improvement if this team is going to succeed. And as Sunday night’s uneven performance showed, it’s still very much an open question whether that will be the case.
