There wasn’t a lot of buzz heading into this week’s matchup between the struggling New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then on Tuesday, a bomb dropped.
The Giants decided to scrap their plan to ride veteran quarterback Eli Manning this season while first round pick Daniel Jones went through the once-standard gestation period.
Jones will start this week in a changing of the guard that has the attention of the entire football universe. Here’s six things to know.
The Giants are desperate
For CEO John Mara, general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur, this season could not be off to a worse start. They are 0-2 and are underachieving across the board. The realization that they overestimated the team they put together this offseason has sunk in. Their defense is terrible and their offense isn’t far behind. They had one move to make here and that was insert Jones into the lineup. That changed the narrative from them being a team that is ready to compete now to a team in transition. They basically did this to save face.
The Giants hope they can get lucky with Jones
Jones will be the 14th quarterback since the 1970 merger to start his first NFL game in a Giants uniform. That may seem like a lot but check around the league. It’s pretty amazing. The Giants are fortunate to have had two quarterbacks both play over 15 seasons for the club in Phil Simms and Eli Manning. But Manning was not drafted by the Giants, so the last QB to start their first NFL game who they drafted was Jesse Palmer back in 2003. Yes, that Jesse Palmer.
Passing is not the answer. What?
In Pat Shurmur’s first 18 games as head coach, the Giants are 4-0 when they throw for fewer than 200 yards and 1-13 when they exceed 200 yards through the air. How is that possible? It just illustrates how this team is being run. They win when they run the football, play staunch defense and throw only out of necessity. Unfortunately, the defense has been so leaky of late, they have to throw because they are behind early on the scoreboard. So…why did they draft Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick then…?
Ballhawks the Giants are not
The Giants (0-2) are one of three NFL teams who have yet to create a turnover. Denver (0-2) and Jacksonville (0-2) are the other two. According to the club, since the start of the 2018 season, they are 5-1 when the turnover differential is in their favor, and 0-12 when it is even or favors the opposition. Also, the Giants have lost 12 consecutive games in which they did not create a turnover. The Giants are -4 in give/take differential thus far in 2019. Their opponent this week, Tampa Bay, is -1.
Evan Engram is a force
Engram was drafted with the 23rd selection in the 2017 NFL Draft by Jerry Reese and could end up salvaging Reese’s legacy. Engram has 17 receptions this season, good enough for fourth in the NFL but first among tight ends. He is averaging 9.6 yards per catch and 82.0 yards per game. He is finally realizing the potential the Giants saw in him coming out of Ole Miss. The Giants are hoping Engram’s emergence will help open up their offense for the vertical passing game.
Saquon’s star keeps on rising
Saquon Barkley has continued from where he left off last season. He is second in the NFL in rushing after two games this year and is only the third player in Giants history to begin a season with two 100-yard rushing games, joining Eddie Price in 1952 and Rob Carpenter in 1983. Barkley now has 15 games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, tying him with Eric Dickerson for the most in the first 18 games in a career. The Giants’ team record was held by Ron Johnson who rushed for 100 yards in 10 of his first 18 games from 1970-72.
*Stats courtesy of Giants’ PR Dept
