10 Giants and NFL Observations: Daniel Jones vs. Carson Wentz, and COVID News Around the NFL

Following the Dallas Cowboys’ blowout loss to the Washington Football Team, it seems no one wants to win the NFC East. Things could get interesting in the division race after Daniel Jones and the NY Giants’ loss to the Eagles.

Seven weeks into the 2020 NFL season, and the NFC East is unquestionably the worst division in football.

The NY Giants looked like they were going to pull off an NFC East upset last Thursday night, but Carson Wentz led the Eagles on a pair of fourth quarter scoring drives to pull off a 22-21 comeback win.

Here are 10 thoughts on the Giants, the NFC East, and the NFL after seven weeks:

1. Daniel Jones and Carson Wentz

Daniel Jones has played in 20 games, and he’s completed 427 of 690 passes (61.8%) for 4,437 yards (6.43 ypa), 29 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. His passer rating is 83.0. He’s run 76 times for 575 yards and two scores.

Through his first 20 games, Carson Wentz had completed 468 of 754 passes (62%) for 4,840 yards (6.42 ypa), 22 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. His passer rating was 81.4. He’d rushed 66 times for 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But, the key is that Wentz had turned the corner. Over his next nine games, before a season-ending injury late in the 2017 season, Wentz completed 176 of 293 passes (60%) for 2,238 yards (7.64 ypa) with 27 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 107.6. He rushed 44 times for 202 yards.

Daniel Jones has nine games left this year. What can he do with them? How will this comparison look in January?

Interestingly, there are a lot of similarities between Wentz and Jones. Both are athletic. Jones runs a bit more, and Wentz is stronger and more inclined to elude would-be pass rushers behind the line of scrimmage. Both can make spectacular throws, but follow them up with mind-numbing mistakes. Both show flashes of brilliance, and moments of rookie-level ineptitude.

Of course, working in Daniel Jones’ favor is that he’s still only 20 games into his career. Carson Wentz has now played 63 games and he’s still making some of those mistakes. It should be interesting to watch Jones’ development over the next year or so in a division that should be wide open next year.

2. Maskless Gate

By now everyone knows about the incident involving Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones clubbing maskless in Manhattan. There have been no recent developments, but hopefully the Giants and the league are able to get to the bottom of it and either vindicate the two Giants stars (unlikely) or hand down an appropriate punishment to put an end to this kind of risky behavior that could derail the NFL season.

If too many players keep this up, the NFL is going to inevitably see an increasing number of outbreaks that cause more and more games to be postponed, adding weeks to the schedule and creating a significant competitive imbalance.

It’s not the only risk of competitive imbalance due to COVID-19, I’ll address the other later on in this piece.

Personally, I think the most frustrating thing is the resources these guys have available and the options that gives them to socialize during the age of COVID-19 without risking their health, their team’s health, and the franchise’s well-being in terms of draft picks.

Daniel Jones is on a four year, $25.6 million contract. So far he’s collected a little over $18 million from that, according to Spotrac. Barkley is on a four year, $31.2 million contract. According to Spotrac, he’s made about $26 million so far. Rapid tests for COVID-19 can be had for under $100 as a regular person, and outdoor propane heaters can be bought for as little as $250 dollars. Fire pits can be had for as little as $300.

In other words, you can have a pretty safe outdoor hangout spot for peanuts relative to these guys’ salaries, and you can get a couple of friends to isolate and test in order to minimize any risks. Why chance it to party in a closed-down night club?

It’s selfish and stupid, and it was a poor act as teammates by Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.

3. The Great Daniel Jones Trip – Enough Already

I get that it’s a funny video, and it’s going to be an Internet meme for years to come. That’s fine.

But can we all move on already, at least in terms of the football aspect? Can we admit that it’s totally irrelevant? Daniel Jones tripped. It happens. The Giants went on to score, anyway, so it had no impact on the outcome of the game.

It says nothing about Daniel Jones’ athletic ability or future as a quarterback. That’ll probably be the only time in his career he runs for 50+ yards anyway. I can accept the jokes and the meme, as long as we can agree it means absolutely nothing about his abilities as a quarterback.

4. NFC East Cheap Shots

What’s with all the cheap shots in the NFC East lately? Last week it was Giants defensive back Madre Harper hitting Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson late and sending him to the injured reserve after his leg got caught in the turf. He’s out indefinitely with an ankle injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

This week, it was Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton taking a vicious late and dirty hit from Washington’s Jon Bostic. It was a helmet-to-helmet blow after Dalton had already slid and hit the ground, and it sent Dalton out of the game and into the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Is it frustration rippling through a historically bad division? I don’t know, but it’s a bad look and hopefully it won’t continue. It’s one thing to want to leave your division rivals bruised and sore, it’s another to risk long-term health with dirty hits.

Giants fans would certainly hate it if it happened to Daniel Jones, so hopefully it’s toned down a bit in future meetings.

5. NFC East Division Picture

All of a sudden it’s shaping up to be a two-horse race between Philadelphia and Washington, and my money would be on the Eagles if I were so inclined. The Cowboys are in bad shape without Dalton for the time being – and let’s not pretend they looked great with Dalton at the helm, either.

Kyle Allen has completed 55 of 80 passes (69%) for four touchdowns and one interception so far through three games with Washington, but it’s hard to imagine him keeping it up. Last year in Carolina he completed just 62 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. But then again, in this division, just being serviceable could be enough.

The Eagles could be a decent team if they can get healthy, but that seems like a big if. It’s also hard to imagine them getting past seven wins based on their remaining schedule. If the division is a race to seven wins, I guess that begs the question: do the Giants still have a realistic shot, even at 1-6? I mean, it sounds ludicrous but if the Eagles were 4-2-1 and the Giants were 3-4, we would still be considering the Giants to be in contention right?

Of course, things are going to get worse for the Giants as I don’t see them having any chance against Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. But they could conceivably win three in a row @Washington, vs. Philadelphia and @Cincinnati. That gets them to four wins. But with @Seattle, Arizona, Cleveland and @Baltimore up next, I don’t see many opportunities. They close with a winnable game against Dallas, and maybe they steal one elsewhere, but I think six wins is the cap on the Giants’ season.

It’s draft pick rooting season.

6. Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray? Don’t Mind if I Do

I can get used to watching these two go head-to-head for years to come, and I think we’re going to get that pleasure. What a game Sunday night!

We got to watch them throw a combined 98 passes, completing 67 of them for 748 yards and six touchdowns, while also running a combined 20 times for 151 yards and a score. They combined for 899 yards of offense and seven touchdowns. Their teams combined for 1,091 yards of offense and 71 points – and honestly with offensive yardages like that, they could have gone for closer to 100 points.

Wilson goes 33 of 50 for 388 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing six times for 84 yards, but his three interceptions are critical. Murray goes 34 of 48 for 360 yards, three touchdowns and a pick while also scrambling for 67 yards and a score on 14 attempts. They’re both electrifying, despite a lack of size.

Yeah, sign me up to watch this matchup two or three times a year!

7. DK Metcalf and Larry Fitzgerald Hustle Hard

DK Metcalf’s touchdown-saving tackle was one of those plays that literally nobody in the NFC East would make. But it was fun to watch. That’s the type of stuff championship caliber teams do, and props to DK Metcalf for hustling like crazy. Also, kudos to the Seattle defense for cementing the play by keeping Arizona out of the end zone.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1320536596479815680

Not to be outdone – well, okay, he was still outdone but he ended up with the victorious last laugh – Larry Fitzgerald made a hustle play to get the game to overtime. The veteran receiver grabbed the ball and raced it to his center to make sure Kyler Murray could get the snap off and spike the football in time for a game-tying field goal attempt. Not many wide receivers are heads up enough in that spot to make the play, but Fitzgerald is. As a result we were all treated to overtime football.

8. Ryquell Armstead Should be a COVID Warning To Us All

Ryquell Armstead is 23 years old, stands 5’11 tall and weighs 220 pounds. You might say he’s in somewhat good shape. He’s exactly the type of person we’ve been told that COVID-19 should be no big deal for: young, healthy, and fit.

He’s been hospitalized twice, and is expected to miss the rest of the season due to COVID-19, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He’s reported to have experienced significant respiratory issues, and while there have been no specifics given on other complications, it should be concerning for all of us.

This is just another example of why everyone – including NFL players – need to take as many precautions as possible. That’s not a shot at Armstead, either, who may well have been simply unlucky to be infected and not at all careless. Hopefully the rest of his recovery goes smoothly and he has a bright future in the league ahead of him.

However, who knows what the long-term respiratory impacts will be? NFL players should remember that their health and their careers could be impacted severely by COVID-19. It’s no joke.

9. Is Cam Newton Struggling Due to COVID-19 Hangover?

Cam Newton was 62-of-91 (68%) for 714 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions through the first three games of the year. His passer rating was 89.7, and he’d rushed35 times for 149 yards and four touchdowns. He was averaging 288 yards of offense and two scores per game.

Then he was infected with COVID-19. After recovering, he’s gone 26-of-40 (65%) for 255 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating in the last two games is 43.2, and he’s rushed 15 times for 95 yards and a score. He’s only averaging 175 yards of offense per game and 0.5 touchdowns per contest.

Is Cam experiencing a post-COVID hangover? It’s possible that it’s due to missed practice time or that it’s a coincidence. However, perhaps his energy isn’t all the way back or he’s experiencing lingering effects from COVID-19. The effects can include cognitive issues, which would certainly be problematic for a quarterback.

It bears watching going forward. Again, hopefully Newton is back to his usual self and there are no lasting impacts. Hopefully it’s just from missing some practice and being out of rhythm. But it’s concerning, especially as we head into a winter in which COVID-19 cases are expected to surge.

Speaking of which…

10. Could the Seasonality of COVID-19 Impact the Competitive Balance of the NFL?

It seems pretty reasonable to conclude that COVID-19 spreads faster in the winter. It may cause more severe infections in the winter, as well. The most obvious reason is that it’s harder to gather outdoors and stay socially distanced when it’s too cold for comfort outside. There are plenty of other medical reasons that haven’t yet been proven definitively, but experts have concerns. I’ll leave that to the scientists and doctors, and swing this back around to football.

If the spikes and outbreaks are, in fact, worse in the colder weather, does that put teams from northern locations at higher risk of dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak within their organization?

In the AFC, the Steelers (6-0), Chiefs (6-1), Ravens (5-1), Bills (5-2), Browns (5-2) and Colts (4-2) are all far enough north to be at more risk than teams like the Titans (5-2), Dolphins (3-3), and Raiders (3-3).

In the NFC, the Bears (5-1), Seahawks (5-1), and Packers (5-1) should all be at higher risk of problems than the Buccaneers (5-2), Cardinals (5-2), Rams (4-2), Saints (4-2) and 49ers (4-2).

Of course there are other variables that may be significant including humidity (higher relative humidity is good, dryness is bad) and local leadership (I won’t grab that third rail at the moment).

I would be shocked if COVID-19 is not a major storyline in the NFL in December, if not sooner, and warmer weather teams with good local leadership might be in the best position to avoid outbreaks.