4 NY Giants who Brian Daboll must bench for MNF vs. the Steelers

If there was one big takeaway from last week's loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, it's that changes need to be made if the NY Giants want any chance at success moving forward. The starting lineup has remained pretty much the same throughout the first seven weeks outside of injury, and this simply cannot keep up given the level of performance by certain players.

The Giants' upcoming matchup against the Steelers on Monday Night Football will make or break their season. If they win, they could have real hope to try and push for a spot in the playoffs given how competitive the NFC East is. However, a loss will surely end their campaign before we even reach November.

In order for the Giants to have their best chance at success, head coach Brian Daboll has to make some big changes to the starting lineup on both sides of the ball. The current starters are not getting the job done and there is a real chance that the guys behind them could do a better job if called upon.

Here are 4 NY Giants who Brian Daboll must bench for MNF vs. the Steelers

4. CB Deonte Banks

We say this knowing that Deonte Banks pretty much cannot be benched, as there is not much talent behind him. However, his incredibly poor effort against the Eagles warrants a first quarter benching for the second-year corner. His level of play has been fine, even great at times, but what he was doing in Week 7 was simply unacceptable:

The Giants expect better out of Banks, he may be young, but he is the leader of a weak cornerbacks room and needs to step up more in times like this. We're confident that he learned his lesson, but this level of effort is nothing short of horrendous and Daboll must make Banks know that this kind of stuff will not fly.

3. DB Nick McCloud

It's hard to say this, as Nick McCloud's story of pushing for a spot with the Giants is a great one. However, it is now clear that he can't be getting serious playing time for this team. He is a great tackler, which makes him a great fit on special teams, but his coverage skills have been absolutely atrocious this season.

Should he be put in some of the situations he has been in? No. However, a part of being an NFL player is stepping up when your team calls on you, and McCloud has simply not been doing this. Through four games, McCloud has allowed six receptions on eight targets for 118 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers may not have the craziest wide receiver core, but McCloud cannot be allowed to continue failing if Daboll wants his team to win. Him getting burned by A.J. Brown for a long touchdown in Week 7 was tough to watch.

2. OT Joshua Ezeudu

Similar to McCloud, it's hard for us to entirely blame Joshua Ezeudu for his shortcomings. Not only is he a backup level player, but he's being forced to play a position he shouldn't despite the fact that the Giants have other capable tackles that could take his place. Entering Week 8, though, Ezeudu must be benched, as his performance against the Eagles was truly putrid.

Ezeudu was drafted as a guard and is a run-blocking specialist, yet, the Giants have forced him out to tackle the last two seasons and the results have been exactly what you'd expect. In this time, he's allowed seven sacks and 15 pressures despite playing just 223 pass-blocking snaps. Daboll must shift Jermaine Eluemunor to left tackle and slot Evan Neal in at right tackle. The Ezeudu experiment must end.

1. QB Daniel Jones

Last week, fans were shocked to see that Daniel Jones was benched. While it came in a blowout loss, he was pulled early in the fourth quarter in favor of Drew Lock. While Daboll has since come out and said that Jones is still the starter moving forward, it's clear that Daboll's confidence in his quarterback is dwindling.

Jones has held this Giants team back all season long. He is unable to throw a ball more than 20 yards or consistently hit his easy passes. Lock may not give the Giants a much better chance to win, but Jones should not continue to be rewarded for his poor level of play. At the very least, Lock could make some big-time plays and add an excitement factor to the Giants that we haven't seen in two years now.