The scheduling Gods have not been on Daniel Jones and the NY Giants side to start the 2023 NFL season. They had to face arguably the two best defenses in the NFL in two of their first three games (Cowboys and 49ers) and it became clear that Jones and the G-Men were ill-equipped to put up points against defensive units of that caliber.
Unfortunately for the Giants, the schedule doesn’t get much easier over the next couple of weeks, as they will be facing the Dolphins and Bills.
The Highest Strength of Schedules by Team in the NFL:
— Monte (@MONTECRI5TO) October 4, 2023
1. New York Giants .603
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2. Arizona Cardinals .588
3. LA Rams .588
4. Cincinnati Bengal .574
5. Denver Broncos .571
It is tough to blame Jones given the circumstances, but that doesn’t excuse him from already surpassing his interception total from last season through the first four weeks of the season. The schedule softens up after the Week 6 game against the Bills when the G-Men face the Commanders, Jets, and Raiders for the following three weeks.
If Jones cannot turn it around during that stretch, then we will seriously start having to ask questions. Until then, the plan of attack should be to stay the course and trust the process. With that said, here are four reasons why the Giants can’t give up on Danny Dimes just yet.
4. Dual-threat ability
Given the nickname “Vanilla Vick” for his dual-threat ability as both a runner and a passer, Jones’ ability to create plays with his legs opens up so much of the playbook for head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to work with. Last season, Jones ranked fifth amongst quarterbacks in rush yards (708) on 120 attempts. Big Blue leaned into Jones’ mobility and turned him into an extension of the run game, which was a big part of the team’s offensive production last season.
Jones’ rushing prowess prevented defenses from being able to stack the box against star running back Saquon Barkley, opening up running lanes for him to carve up opposing defenses. He has averaged over five yards per attempt in four of his first five seasons, proving he is a capable runner that defenses need to account for at all times.
A 6-5 quarterback with a 4.81 40-yard dash speed is tough to come by and certainly not worth giving up on after he just led the Giants to the NFC Divisional Round less than a year ago just because of a slow start. Now is not the time to give up on Jones. Instead, the team should be rallying around him and reminding him of where he was able to take this group last season.