Vikings stiff challenge for young QB Jones
Rookie must solve defense to win 3rd in row
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Daniel Jones has led the Giants back to relevance. Now the question is whether he can lift them into contention.
Jones’ teammates believe he can. The Giants (2-2) trust their rookie quarterback to lead them to his third straight win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and who knows how far thereafter.
“It’s simple,” right guard Kevin Zeitler said Friday. “The decision was made, and he’s obviously gone out and done things the right way. And as the weeks go on, as things change, it’s a long year. Obviously the big hope? We want him to keep getting better, keep doing well, and see how far he can take us.”
For all of Jones’ early success against Tampa Bay and Washington, however, beating the Vikings (2-2) would be different. Especially with Saquon Barkley (ankle) sitting a second straight game.
A No. 6 overall pick is supposed to show first-year signs of being a future franchise quarterback, sure. But he’s not expected to dissect and dictate to any of the NFL’s top defenses.
Mike Zimmer’s Minnesota `D’ is exactly that: a top-six defense in four of the last five NFL seasons and the league’s fifth-ranked scoring defense in 2019 (15.8 points per game).
They boast elite players at all levels, from Linval Joseph up front, to Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter on the edges, to Anthony Barr at linebacker, Xavier Rhodes at corner and Harrison Smith at safety.
“There are elements to their defense that (Jones) hasn’t seen from the previous two teams,” said Pat Shurmur, whose work as Minnesota’s offensive coordinator in 2017 got him the Giants’ head coaching job. “Zim always has a pressure of the week cooked up that we all have to adjust to. Yeah, there will be some things that he hasn’t seen.”
Jones also notes another valuable trait of the Vikings defense is their chemistry.
“They are physical, it’s an experienced group back there, they have some guys that have played together for a long time,” the rookie QB said. “As far as giving you different looks, they are good at that. (But) it’s about what we do, it’s about playing to our strengths. I think we’ll do that.”
Shurmur said “the important thing” for Jones in this game is “to make good, quick decisions, and get the ball out of your hands” to minimize Minnesota’s pass rush.
So Golden Tate’s Giant debut following a fourgame suspension for PED use is timed nicely. Tate is adept at gaining yards after the catch, and Jones’ accuracy should play into his catch-and-run strength and make Tate a valuable safety valve.
Jones’ Giants are averaging 24.5 offensive points per game in his two starts compared to 15.5 in Eli Manning ’s two weeks under center. He is averaging 8.1 yards per completion to Manning’s 6.2.