It was bound to happen at some point this season- the New York Giants would feel it necessary to replace veteran quarterback Eli Manning with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Daniel Jones.
Their hand would be forced when the season started 0-2, even though the losses were largely due to the extremely inefficient defense as opposed to the quarterback. Still, Pat Shurmur announced last Tuesday that Jones would get the start in Week 3 and lo and behold, Big Blue came away with the victory.
Here are four things we learned from the Giants win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Daniel Jones has the it factor
Jones was 23/36 for 336 yards and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). He had zero interceptions but was sacked five times for a loss of 24 yards and ended with a QBR of 112.7.
But it’s not his stats that set him apart from other rookie quarterbacks, it’s his swagger. The Giants trailed 28-10 at the half and many had already written the game off as a loss. Saquon Barkley was down and the defense looked the same as it had the first two weeks. But Jones came out in the third quarter and slung the ball to Evan Engram for a 75-yard touchdown on his first pass of the quarter. It ignited a fire under the team, fueled the players to play better. Then he managed to find Sterling Shepard in the end zone, placing the ball where only he could catch it.
Jones wasn’t just accurate, he took over as a leader on the field. He elevated the play of those around him and managed to lead a disheartened and struggling team to victory. Sure, the Bucs missed a game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Giants the win, but the win is what matters and Jones is responsible. He was unflappable and remained poised throughout the game. Welcome to the Danny Dimes era.
D improved late, but still have a LONG way to go
Looking at the stats, you’d think the Bucs won this game, except for the scoreboard. The Giants allowed 499 total yards and the Bucs controlled the time of possession. But the good news for the Giants is that the defense stepped it up this week. Whether it was adjustments by James Bettcher or the players deciding to show up an play doesn’t matter, they looked better than they did the first two games after a truly ugly start. There were four sacks thanks to Markus Golden (two) and two rookies in Oshane Ximines and Dexter Lawrence. Jameis Winston was hit a total of 10 times, and rookie linebacker Ryan Connelly nabbed an interception.
While there was improvement on the defensive side of the ball, there is still a long way to go. The 499 yards allowed (355 in the air, 144 on the ground) is a huge problem that needs addressed. It’s an overall problem between the secondary allowing those catches to be made and the line not getting enough pressure on the opposing quarterback to alter or prevent the pass.
Darius Slayton looks like a play maker
Darius Slayton was a fifth round pick, No. 171 overall, by the Giants this year. His 1,605 receiving yards rank him 11th among career leaders at Auburn. He sat out the first two games due to injury, but against the Bucs he managed three catches on five targets and gained 82 yards on the day, and he looked nothing like a rookie in his first NFL game.
Slayton used his speed to his advantage and created separation. He made several downfield blocks and gave Jones an option on what appeared to be busted plays. He did exactly what he was supposed to do.
And it was when he made those catches that makes him special. All of Slayton’s catches came when the Giants were behind, and all three catches resulted in a first down. He is likely to be overlooked by opposing defenses because he is a rookie and because he was a fifth round pick. He’s not Sterling Shepard and he’s not Cody Latimer, but he has the potential to earn a starting spot if he keeps catching the ball when it matters.
Losing Saquon will be extremely damaging offensively
You know it was a rough day on the ground when the quarterback leads the team in rushing — although that only happened because Saquon Barkley got injured. He left the game in the second quarter after taking a hit to his lower right leg along the sideline and needed help to get to the locker room. He returned to the sideline in a boot, much to the chagrin of Giants fans everywhere. Even leaving the game yesterday with only 10 yards, Barkley is still sixth in the league behind Ezekiel Elliott in rushing yards. His production cannot be replaced.
Barkley’s backup, Wayne Gallman, who is in his third season, has just 30 yards on seven attempts this season.
Gallman is likely to take the bulk of the load with Barkley out upwards of two months, but he is not the same type of runner. Barkley is more explosive and has better vision, he’s tougher to bring down. So while Gallman is an okay backup, he’s not Barkley and will not be able to replace Barkley’s production. Not having that ground game is going to make Daniel Jones’ job that much harder and is going to make the offense one-dimensional, making it easier for defenses to pick apart.
