5 reasons NY Giants are 0-5 start with Dave Gettleman’s flawed roster building

Daniel Jones’ continued inability to protect the football … or come through in the clutch

Gettleman triumphantly awaited reporters at the entrance of the visiting locker room of Raymond James Stadium after Daniel Jones orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback in his first career start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last September.

Jones has just one other fourth-quarter comeback, last December against Washington.

In the NFL, a team either has an elite quarterback capable of elevating the players around him, or they don’t.

Jones has made 18 starts after being chosen No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft and has yet to offer a signature performance that completely reinforces the Giants’ faith in him.

Jones, to be fair, has shown glimpses, such as a 352-yard and five-touchdown performance against Washington last fall, or tossing four touchdowns in a loss to the Detroit Lions.

However, too often, Jones’ moments of brilliance are undone by one or more of his 31 career turnovers, or as was the case Sunday, stalling out on a possible game-winning field goal drive in the game’s final minutes.

Perhaps Jones will be able to build on his 222-yard performance Sunday and continue to find his footing in his third offensive scheme in as many seasons. But, if the Giants are picking first in next April’s NFL Draft, Gettleman likely will not be making the selection, and it will mean Jones did not do enough to dissuade the organization from taking Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.