When Daniel Jones took the field Monday night, it marked the first time in 16 years someone other than Eli Manning started the season opener as the Giants’ quarterback.
Jones, in his rookie season, didn’t take over from Manning until after Week 2. While the Giants went on to finish the season with a 4-12 record, Jones showed he has loads of potential. But we all know potential isn’t enough to get the job done. If the Giants are going to turn around their losing ways, Jones must prove he’s the man for the job.
Joe Judge has been trusted with the task of fixing everything wrong with this team. The Giants have reached the postseason once (2016) in the last eight seasons.
Judge emphasized a positive team-first mentality throughout the offseason.
“I think the strength of our team right now is we have a team, and that’s something to be proud of,” Judge said. “There’s a lot of teams out there with a lot of talent that are split in different directions. I like when I see our guys and I see everyone moving in the same direction. There are going to be a lot of things we need to progress on and improve on throughout the year, but right now, I’m proud of the way our guys come to work every day.”
Jones played in his first game without a two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback looking over his shoulder. Judge made his debut as head coach.
It was a fresh start for the Giants, however, with a familiar ending.
The Giants opened their season in an empty MetLife Stadium with a deflating 26-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here are three takeaways I took from a tough start to the season for Big Blue:
The running game ran into the Steel Curtain
Saquon Barkley couldn’t get anything going for himself with the run game. The Steelers defense was stingy and physical all night. Barkley was held to six yards on 15 carries, he averaged a woeful 0.4 yards per carry.
When Barkley gets out in space is where he’s at his most electrifying. He caught six passes for 60 yards, including a thrilling 38-yard catch and run. But if the Giants are going to have success on offense, it’s imperative their most dynamic playmaker runs the football. The Steelers made sure to take that away and make the offense one-dimensional.
Daniel Jones, the good, bad, and ugly
The maturation of Jones will be a main storyline throughout the season. His performance against the Steelers was a mixed bag. There was some good, bad, and ugly in that bag.
Jones, with new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, showed he has a firm grasp of the new offense. He made a handful of passes under duress and stood tall in the pocket. The offensive line didn’t do him any favors, he was sacked three times.
Jones didn’t fumble the football, which is great. Last season, he was a fumble machine and that will be watched closely this year. It was, however, two interceptions which cast a dark cloud over his performance.
The second interception was a backbreaking momentum-killing mistake. Jones marched the Giants 87 yards on a methodical 19-play drive in the third quarter. It looked inevitable New York would put points on the scoreboard. Jones, feeling the Steelers’ pressure, rolled left from the 4-yard line and had his pass deflected by Bud Dupree.
As the ball came back down, you had to know what would happen next. Pittsburgh’s Cam Heyward caught in the end zone for an easy interception. That was basically the ballgame.
Jones has the tools to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league, but he’s not there yet. He hasn’t shown he’s able to carry an offense with his play. The offensive line and Barkley must be better in order to balance the attack.
Now, while all of that is true, Jones must also do better to cut down on the mistakes. It will come, with time.
There were signs of promise from the Giants defense
Going up against a returning Ben Roethlisberger was a daunting challenge for this defense. The veteran quarterback was back after missing the final 14 games last season after major elbow surgery.
New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit displayed a bend-but-don’t break mentality early. It took some time for Roethlisberger to shake off the rust, but he eventually got it going. When he did, there wasn’t much the Giants’ defense could do to slow the momentum.
Roethlisberger threw for 229 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Two of those touchdowns went to his best playmaker JuJu Smith-Schuster (six catches, 69 yards). The Giants struggled to contain running back Benny Snell Jr.; the youngster rushed for 113 yards on 19 carries.
There were, however, bright spots from the defense. Leonard Williams had a strong game for the Giants. The ex-Jet had five tackles, two for losses, and a sack. The Giants need playmakers on the defense and that’s what Williams is being paid a lot of money to be.
Also, keep an eye out for Lorenzo Carter and Blake Martinez. Both players were impressive and, along with Williams, will need to play key roles in the success of the unit.
