HECK OFA DIME
Rookie Jones delivers dramatic Giants victory with dazzling debut
TAMPA, FLA. >> Daniel Jones jogged onto the field at Raymond James Stadium at 4:18 p.m. Sunday to a serenade of cheers from flocks of Giants fans who made the trip south to witness the rookie’s firstever NFL start.
Jones, in turn, proved the moment was not overwhelming — that he wasn’t going to wilt under the weight of replacing Eli Manning, the Giants’ franchise icon for the last 15 years.
He commanded the huddle with poise and delivered deep balls with pinpoint accuracy. He stood tall in the pocket and showed necessary awareness in the face of pressure. He showed off mobility that can transform the Giants’ offense in a multitude of ways.
At the culmination was Jones writing a storybook script with a 7-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 1:16 remaining to lift New York to a 32-31 comeback win at Tampa. With no receivers open and pressure caving in from both sides, Jones made a gutsy decision to tuck the ball and run up the middle.
“They were playing some kind of man (defense) and it just kind of opened up there,” Jones said postgame. “I saw the grass and took it, so fun finish to it. Exciting last drive and felt we did a good job getting people open and good job protecting.”
There is no more denying it: Moving on from the 38-year-old Manning was the right decision. General manager Dave Gettleman may very well have struck gold when drafting Jones sixth overall out of Duke, despite all the naysayers who claimed the Giants selected him too high in the first round.
All the tools that the 22-year-old Jones exhibited in the preseason translated against a vastly improved Bucs defense. Beyond the outstanding numbers — 23-of-36 passing for 336 yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns
— Jones showed remarkable intangibles in overcoming the team’s porous defense and leading the Giants back from down 18 points at halftime.
“There’s certain things that I knew about this kid when we drafted him,” head coach Pat Shurmur said. “He was tough, he was competitive and in my opinion he’s a winner. Now the rest of it is just pure quarterback stuff, and because of those first three things, that’s why he’s going to have a chance going forward.”
Jones’ day began by leading the Giants on two straight scoring drives while converting 4-of-5 third downs — three on pass completions and another on an 11-yard scramble. He also ran for a 7-yard touchdown on a zone-read play where he faked a handoff up the middle to Saquon Barkley, then tucked the ball and darted to the right pylon.
According to Next Gen Stats, those two runs both topped 19 miles per hour
— the third- and fourthfastest runs by any quarterbacks in the league this season.
Jones’ ability to manipulate the pocket also extended plays and allowed more time for routes to develop. On New York’s second-quarter touchdown drive, Jones evaded a sack from a blindside rusher and somehow found Barkley at Tampa’s 7-yard line for a 19-yard gain on third down. Manning simply doesn’t possess those traits and even struggles to execute designed bootlegs at this stage of his career.
“As you move around and you get outside the pocket, things sometimes start to clean up for big plays,” Shurmur said. “And I think he moved a few times, because pass rushes are too good and if they know you’re throwing the ball and (if) you break contain and you’ve got a good set of legs on you, then you have a chance to make a play.”
Jones’ arm was equally extraordinary. In the first half, his best throw was a 30-yard completion across his body to Sterling Shepard on third-and-9. He topped that early in the second half with a 46yard bomb to Darius Slayton after he rolled right and dodged a rusher from behind
He followed that up with a perfectly placed rainbow — a 7-yard touchdown toss to Sterling Shepard in the corner of the end zone. Coupled with a 75-yard touchdown to speedy tight end Evan Engram and a two-point conversion to open the half, suddenly the Giants’ halftime deficit was down from 28-10 to 28-25.
“You never really know how it’s going to go. That’s the fun part and that’s football,” Jones said. “We found a way to win, we battled and found a way to finish it. And that’s what’s the most exciting.”
And the odds were stacked against Jones. The running game was nonexistent as Barkley totaled only 10 yards on eight carries and had four receptions before leaving in the second quarter with an ankle sprain. Barkley later stood on the field with crutches and a boot on his right leg, leaving the star running back’s immediate future in doubt.
Shepard returned from a concussion that kept him out last week and Slayton, a fifth-round pick out of Auburn, made his debut after nursing a hamstring injury. Still, Jones was attacking a strong Bucs defense that veteran coordinator Todd Bowles has reformed. Coming into the day, Tampa ranked first in red-zone defense, fourth in yards allowed per play and eighth in third-down defense.
The unit harassed the rookie with five sacks — four by league leader Shaquil Barrett, who twice caused Jones to fumble at critical times including early in the fourth quarter.
But that’s part of being a rookie, and with another chance with 3:16 remaining, Jones delivered a heroic performance and gave Giants fans hope for the future.
“Daniel came in there and he was hyped up, hyped everybody else up and said, ‘Lets go win this game, boys,’ and that’s what we did,” Shepard said. “The line did a great job protecting him. Everybody did their job and I take my hat off to all the guys in the locker room. We kept fighting.”