New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones’ 2023 NFL season was over after Week 9.
His 2024 season might be over after Week 2.
Jones and the Giants opened with defeat to the Minnesota VikingsGetty
To be fair to Jones, none of his teammates were particularly good during the Giants Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Big Blue failed to score a touchdown and were booed off the field by their own fans.
However when you are the quarterback, the buck usually stops with you and for the QB formerly known as Danny Dimes things were especially bad.
He threw two interceptions (including one that was returned for a touchdown), took five sacks, and generally mirrored the lack of accuracy and poise that marred his 2023 season, which came to an end when he tore his ACL in Week 9.
Jones’ offensively inept performance came on the heels of former Giants running back Saquon Barkley’s three-touchdown debut with hated rivals the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley signed with Philly during the offseason after trying to get a long-term deal done in New York – and plenty of talk from Giants GM Joe Schoen that, despite losing Barkley, the team was still set up for success.
All of this only added further fuel to calls from Giants fans to bench Jones who signed a $160 million contract with the team in 2023.
Money which could have helped pay Barkley.
Those calls might get even louder if the Giants lay an egg in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders.
After all, there’s no tougher place to play than New York, a fact former Giant Jason Bell knows well.
‘Inhumane’ Giants fans hurl abuse at Daniel Jones and burn his jersey after Vikings loss – and Malik Nabers’ frank comments could see situation turn ‘ugly’
Barkley enjoyed a spectacular start to life as an EagleGetty
“New York is a hard place to have your back against the wall.
“I expect them to respond this week, because of the pressure that they’re getting from the city, from the national media. They have to respond,” Bell told talkSPORT.
“Daniel Jones has to step up and play well. If he doesn’t, he might get benched, because there’s so much pressure on that organization to play well.
In the 2023 offseason, the Giants opted to hand Jones his extended deal, and after franchise-tagging Barkley at the same time, pushed any long-term contract talk around the running back another 12 months down the line.
Barkley chose to walk away and a second franchise tag would have cost the Giants too much, so now the franchise has put all their faith in Jones coming good.
“They have said the entire offseason, ‘We’ve put our QB in the best situation to succeed.’ Now, what can you do?”
Still, Bell thinks the Giants will come out fighting … and that might be enough to keep Jones atop the team’s QB depth chart where he currently has Drew Lock and last season’s fan favorite Tommy DeVito backing him up.
For now, anyway.
“The pressure’s on, we’re going to see how they respond,” Bell said.
“My experience in the NFL is you usually get a spark from something like this – but it might not maintain.”
After facing the Commanders in Week 2, the Giants head to Cleveland to play another quarterback under mounting pressure, with Deshaun Watson and the Browns.
The team return to MetLife Stadium in Week 4 in front of the Monday Night Football cameras to take on the Dallas Cowboys.
It won’t just be New York watching, the country will have eyes on the Big Apple.
talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio – join us as Week 2 continues with the San Francisco 49ers travelling to the Minnesota Vikings on talkSPORT2 from 6pm on Sunday September 15
Watch the first episode of our brand new show ‘Run Down’ on the talkSPORT dedicated NFL channel
