Giants Country

Giants QB Daniel Jones Tied for First Among Quarterbacks in This Dismal Stat

The Giants quarterback has been fighting through another miserable campaign under center, but it’s partly due to leading his position in this negative category. 

Stephen Lebitsch

Nov 3, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong (92) is called for a personal foul while trying to sack New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) in the 2nd half at MetLife Stadium.
Nov 3, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong (92) is called for a personal foul while trying to sack New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) in the 2nd half at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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When looking back on the first ten games of the New York Giants 2-8 season, it’s been easy to point the first finger of blame towards quarterback Daniel Jones and his many failures as an NFL starting gunslinger, but that’s until one looks at a concerning statistic that might bear him some benefit of the doubt. 

There is no doubt that Jones has regressed in his three seasons under head coach Brian Daboll. The pair looked like they found the answer when they led the Giants to their first playoff berth and victory in six years behind a career-high passing stint from Jones, who amassed 3,205 yards and 22 total touchdowns in 2022, his first fully healthy season as a pro. 

Since then, navigating the offense has been an unmitigated disaster for both parties. The former No. 6 pick has dealt with neck and ACL injuries that marred his 2023 campaign and has seen his intangibles weaken tremendously. Meanwhile, the organization has gone from nine wins to two victories entering their bye week this season. 

The number of miscues by Jones, ranging from poor initial reads to misjudging his throws over wide-open receivers, like was seen in the Giants’ 20-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, are enough to fill a several minute highlight reel and tells a grueling story of a guy who simply isn’t destined to hold the starting job in New York beyond the end of the regular season. 

However, one needs to cast one's eyes on a separate trend that follows Jones’s faulty play and is fully out of his control. That is the ineptitude of the offensive line, which has fallen back on its hind legs in the last month and is now responsible for hoisting their quarterback to the top of his position in hits taken through Week 10. 

In the list compiled by The 33rd Team, Jones is tied for first among starting quarterbacks with 71 total hits in that span, with Houston Texans arm C.J. Stroud. With that many pressures allowed, it’s hard for any player to succeed, and that is a big reason why the Giants' front line has slid from a solid start to two bottom-third rankings in both team pass and run block win rates. 

The Giants have struggled to fully solve the offensive line issue as the third year of the Joe Schoen-Daboll regime draws nearer to a close. The group mainly inherited a unit that was in complete shambles from a history of relentless injuries and failed draft selections, and their efforts thus far have seemingly not been enough to alter the course of that tale.

Despite their rare success in 2022, the team’s starting front dealt with constant weekly rotation changes as ailments kept each of their first five blockers out at least one game. Jones was lucky enough to stay upright and keep the offense flowing with his dual-threat abilities then, but that became much more difficult as the protection started to crumble in the postseason.

The following season, things got worse as the Giants' offensive line succumbed to a record-breaking 85 total sacks, which led the league and marked the second-highest single-season total since the 1986 Eagles allowed 104.

General manager Joe Schoen capitalized on that embarrassment to justify spending a chunk of money on veterans who would improve pass blocking and make the young offense more competitive. 

There was evidence of this working up to par in the first several weeks as the new front, marked by the additions of left guard Jon Runyan, right guard Greg Van Roten, and right tackle Jermaine Eluemenor, opened the 2024 season in the top 10 for both pass and run block success rates behind the new mentorship of offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. 

New York went 2-3 in their first five contests without collecting more than three sacks in five of the first six matchups. Some of these outings came when they faced a couple of the dominant pass-edge rushing units in the NFL: the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. They were held both under two sacks, which also created a momentous win in Week 3 over the former. 

The last quarter of the schedule has been quite a different story. We have seen everything go backward again, starting with the loss of All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas, who suffered his second foot injury in as many seasons in Week 7. After Thomas’s loss, the Giants' offensive line has tumbled to 16 sacks in the last four matchups and landed the 23rd-worst PFF grade for pass-blocking metrics. 

It’s been a mystery why the absence of one player has disrupted the quality of their protection, but it’s influenced the unit's congruency and forced the Giants to once again experiment with rotations based on matchups that have become harder to tame without full health. 

They now are staring into a 35-sack season and counting, with each member of last weekend’s starting five bearing at least one sack, four hits, and 14 overall pressures and a quarterback whose lack of time has further inflamed his weaknesses as a passer and inclination to panic with the ball in his hands and the breath of an edge rusher on his shoulders. 

The Giants' only hope is that they at least had the offensive line heading in the right direction when the year started, as they helped Jones create some of his brightest showcases when his pocket was clean. 

He averaged a 64.3 percent completion percentage for 231.4 yards and six touchdowns in the aforementioned games, which shows that the basis for bringing out his best is giving him the time to digest what is developing on the field. 

He still has work to do whether he remains with the team beyond the season's final game, but alongside that, the Giants must figure out how to further strengthen their offensive line and maintain their health in the future. Otherwise, the evidence of poor quarterback play will only continue, no matter who is suited up to deliver the shots.

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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