3 Trends NY Giants must break to beat the Falcons

Putting a leash on Daniel Jones

We all know Daniel Jones is a flawed quarterback.

Ever since he was drafted, many thought the pick was a reach.

After year one and year two, turnovers were a clear issue. Heading into year three, many view it as the make or break year for not only him, but for Gettleman as well. One could argue that Jones’ fate is in his own hands, but in reality, it’s in the hands of the coaching staff at the moment.

On pass attempts that traveled 20+ yards down the field in 2020, Jones was 19-for-39 with 636 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. In what was a bad season at large for Jones and the Giants, there was something to be said about the success he had throwing the ball deep.

In two games this season, Jones is 2-for-5 with 75 yards on passes that traveled 20+ yards through the air. Those completions were both to Darius Slayton, with one being a 33-yard touchdown on a go route. It’s a small sample size, but if you shrink the parameters a bit to 15+ yards through the air, Jones was 9-for-10 in week 1 and 5-for-8 in week 2.

However, his best asset might just be his legs. Jones had nine carries for 95 yards and a touchdown in week 2. Jason Garrett did a decent job at getting some designed runs for Jones, but it wasn’t enough. We know Jones isn’t Lamar Jackson, but in situations like the drive following the James Bradberry interception, there needs to be some more trust put into Jones.

Of course, that comes with risk, as we saw Jones fumble on a scramble attempt in week 1. So far, that’s the only fumble and the only turnover he’s had. If the Giants want to evaluate what they really have in Daniel Jones, they need to let him loose both on the ground and through the air. Playing conservatively has landed the team at 0-2. At this point, there’s not much to lose by trying to unleash Jones to his full potential.