Last season New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones played better than expected. Part of that might have had to do with the expectations for him coming into the league, as many thought that he was not the kind of quarterback worthy of an early draft pick. But Jones flashed the ability to attack downfield and make some throws under pressure, perhaps easing fears about his NFL future.
Yet there was one number that had people concerned: 18.
Jones led the league in fumbles last year, and of those 18, 11 of them were recovered by the opposition. All but one of those 11 lost fumbles led to points for the opposition.
Jones did not fumble in his 2020 debut, but he did throw a pair of interceptions. Unfortunately, his fumble issues popped up early in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears:
THIS IS EMBARRASSING!!! Daniel Jones needs to get this ball out to the crossing route ASAP.
Holds onto the ball WAY too long, that cannot happen on a weekly basis. pic.twitter.com/gkSvQfNx0O
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) September 20, 2020
Jones does have a tendency to be slow with his rehttps://twitter.com/AlexWilsonESM/status/1307737799051878406?s=20ads and decisions, which contributed to those fumble woes in 2019. It seems those issues are back in part here in Week 2.
Oh, and he did not avoid the interception bug early in Week 2 either:
Evan Engram slips and Jones throws an interception… Unreal, the Giants can't do themselves any favors #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/gdVoSwAOME
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) September 20, 2020
Again, this ball comes out late. Jones opens to the left, and the three-receiver side of the formation. He has the underneath pivot route, which is open, but instead he comes late to the other side of the formation to throw this underneath route. Once more a slow decision leads to a turnover.
The Giants can still find a way to come back in this game – perhaps without running back Saquon Barkley who was injured on back-to-back plays – but they will need Jones to get faster with his mind. Both to win this game, and to win in the future.
