THE STORYLINE:
Barring a dramatic and immediate turnaround by Daniel Jones, the fan base of the New York Giants is completely done with the 6th-year quarterback. Enter the Washington Commanders, the only team in the NFL that Jones seems to do well against (5-1-1 overall record, 10 touchdown passes, three interceptions).
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have foolishly tied their fate to this mess. Unbelievably, after just one game, the season is already on the brink.
THE INJURY REPORT:
- WR Malik Nabers (knee – probable)
- WR Darius Slayton (concussion – probable)
- WR Gunner Olszewski (groin – out)
- ILB Micah McFadden (groin – probable)
- ILB Darius Muasau (knee – out)
- CB Nick McCloud (knee – out)
GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
It may sound overly simplistic, but the New York Giants’ offense is largely at the mercy of the quarterback. If the quarterback can’t function at an acceptable level, the team will be unable to sustain drives and put points on the board. Just as bad, the incompetency will drain the energy of the rest of the team. This is where the 2024 New York Giants find themselves. Daniel Jones is not only bad, but based on the season opener, he is getting worse. The loss of confidence is so palpable that ex-teammates who are in his corner (i.e., Kyle Rudolph) are publicly raising the alarm bells.
For whatever reason, Jones seems to play his best against Washington. He also has the advantage of playing this game on the road. Yes, you read that correctly, it would be better for Jones to not be facing hostile home crowds. That’s how far he has fallen.
Because of the state of the team’s quarterback play, breaking down the opponent feels like going through the motions. Washington’s head coach is Dan Quinn, who was Dallas’ defensive coordinator from 2021-2023. He knows how to defend Jones. But even if he didn’t, the book is out. Don’t give up the cheap big play. Make Daniel beat you by driving the field without making a mistake (inaccurate passes, running into sacks, turning over the ball). The Vikings changed their MO, instead of attacking, they played coverage, and it worked liked a charm. New York scored six points. SIX. So why would Washington – or anyone – do anything differently?
Washington’s defense is not good. They gave up 37 points last weekend. Six of the 11 starters are new. They have good defensive tackles (Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen), but had issues rushing the passer and covering against Tampa Bay. The edge rushers are not good and the secondary has issues. Long story short, if Jones struggles early against this group, he should be pulled from the game and never throw another pass in a Giants’ uniform.
As for the rest of the team, New York’s offensive line played together as a unit for the first time last Sunday. The results were mixed. Improvement is expected as the season progresses and they gain more chemistry and cohesion together. The receivers are at the mercy of Jones. New York may want to rely on their running game more given the issues at quarterback.
GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
The focus on Jones has somewhat overshadowed the disappointing start of New York’s defense. Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux were largely invisible against a couple of good Minnesota tackles. If that continues, the Giants are really in a lot of trouble. Not just on the field, but faith in terms of the decision makers who acquire talent. The Giants spent the 5th overall pick on Thibodeaux (and 7th overall on Evan Neal). They also gave Brian Burns a 5-year, $141 million contract. Despite their poor record in recent years, Washington’s OL had been a strength for the team. That really is not the case anymore. Burns and Thibodeaux should do much better this week. Should.
That being said, outside of Terry McLaurin, the Commanders don’t have many weapons on offense. However, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels can absolutely kill a team with his feet. Thibodeaux, Burns, and the rest of the defensive front need to maintain disciplined pass rush lanes. This will hurt their ability to rush the passer, but it will be required. Daniels can turn any scramble into a long touchdown. Do the Giants weaken their coverage a bit by keeping a spy on Daniels? Isaiah Simmons, who didn’t take a snap on defense last week, may fit the bill if they do. Long story short, if the Giants don’t have a lot of sacks, but Daniels does not hurt them with his feet, that may be a tradeoff you take.
Under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders didn’t attack much down the field in the passing game in Week One. If that continues, the Giants will need to tighten up their zone coverages. They made it too easy for Sam Darnold in the opener. That said, the zone coverages will also help against the running QB (they will be facing Daniels rather than having their backs turned to him). Watch for passes to the backs out of the backfield, come up quickly and make the tackle for a minimal gain.
On the personnel front, Micah McFadden likely returns to the starting line up and we’ll have to see if he has improved his overall tackling from last season. Adoree’ Jackson is also likely to see more snaps at outside corner, especially with Nick McCloud dealing with a knee issue. Dru Phillips seemed to out-play Cor’Dale Flott at slot corner in Week One so we’ll have to see who gets more snaps there. Giants need more productivity out of Bobby Okereke than they got in the opener too.
Overall, keep Daniels from doing too much damage with his feet. Don’t let McLaurin burn you down the field, and come up quickly on those short passes and limit them to minimal yardage.
GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Giants entered training camp with two viable options for punt returner, Gunner Olszewski and Isaiah McKenzie. Both got hurt. Now the Giants turn to recently-signed Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
QUOTES:
Shane Bowen on Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux: “I tell them that every day. Where the resources are delegated, you got to be good. Your best players got to be good. It’s the nature of the league. Your best players got to play their best every single Sunday if you want to play good… They have to go out there and perform… This week’s a little bit of a different animal with the quarterback.”
Brian Daboll on how to get Malik Nabers more involved: “Throw him the ball.”
THE FINAL WORD:
The opener was a disaster. For Daniel Jones. But perhaps more so for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. If the Giants can’t win this week, and with the upcoming schedule, things could spiral out of control very quickly. This is as “must” as there is in “must-win” game.