After miserable start, Giants QB Daniel Jones faces Commanders
If New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones faced Washington every week, he’d be on his way to the Hall of Fame.
In seven starts against the NFC East rival, Jones has a 5-1-1 record with 10 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 98.0 passer rating.
When the Giants (0-1) face the Commanders (0-1) on Sunday in Landover, Md., they will try to continue their Jones-led mastery of Washington.
A trip to the D.C. area might be the elixir for Jones, who was booed Sunday in the Meadowlands as the Giants lost 28-6 to the Minnesota Vikings.
Playing for the first time since undergoing surgery in November to repair a torn ACL, Jones threw two interceptions, including a pick-six.
He also was sacked five times on his way to completing 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards without a touchdown. Jones’ passer rating of 44.3 was the second worst among NFL starters last week.
This week as he has been peppered with questions about Jones, Giants coach Brian Daboll has largely addressed them from a team standpoint.
“I’d just say for all of us, we can all do a better job,” Daboll said.
Jones’ record against Washington is noteworthy, considering he has no more than two wins against any other NFL team. He has compiled a 17-36 mark against the rest of the league.
“Everybody here is rallying around Daniel,” Giants guard Jon Runyan Jr. said. “We’ve been seeing him this whole offseason. He’s been here the whole time. He’s been working really hard.”
There is considerably less pressure on Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was one of the few bright spots in the Commanders’ 37-20 loss Sunday at Tampa Bay.
Daniels, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards. He also rushed 16 times for a team-high 88 yards and two touchdowns.
Though the rushing numbers were impressive, Commanders coach Dan Quinn pointed out that most of Daniels’ carries were not designed runs.
“We’d love to see him remain a passer first, and I think it’s going to come with experience,” Quinn said.
In his first year with Washington, Quinn said that he wants the slightly built Daniels to be less eager to take off when he feels heat.
“Sometimes, getting outside the pocket you also remain a passer,” Quinn said. “He’s going to be an exceptional player. There are choices when to go, when to not. You do have to grow and learn into those.”
Quinn also wants to see Daniels take more downfield shots, especially to standout receiver Terry McLaurin, who had just two receptions for 17 yards on four targets.
Another area Washington needs to improve is its defense, which was riddled by Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw four touchdown passes and had the league’s highest passer rating in Week 1 at 146.4.
The Commanders and Giants got through Week 1 relatively healthy.
Washington cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, who injured his right thumb against the Bucs, will have surgery on Friday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament and will not play on Sunday, according to multiple reports. Forbes, who was a full participant on Wednesday and limited on Thursday, will wear a splint during practice, Quinn said on Wednesday.
The Commanders will have more information after the surgery to determine Forbes’ recovery time. Placing him on injured reserve will require him to miss at least four games.
Safety Tyler Owens (ankle) was limited in practice on Wednesday and a full participant on Thursday. Rookie defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, who was selected in the second round of the draft and is recovering from offseason foot surgeries, did not practice on Wednesday and was limited on Thursday. He could play on Sunday, Quinn said.
For New York, rookie linebacker Darius Muasau (knee), who had six tackles and an interception coming off the bench on Sunday, was added to the injured list and is day-to-day, according to Daboll. Muasau didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday.
Punt returner Gunner Olszewski (groin) will miss several weeks but has not yet been put on the injured reserve list. Also missing practice were wideout Darius Slayton (concussion) and cornerback Nick McCloud (knee). On Thursday, Slayton remained in concussion protocol but was limited in practice while McCloud and Olszewski missed practice, as did linebacker George Musso (knee). Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) was limited in practice.
–Field Level Media