Should New York Giants Be in Panic Mode After One Game?

It's just one game into the new season, but this is a tricky question to answer.

Jul 25, 2024; East Rutherford, NY, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll speaks with quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

“It’s only one game.”

That is the battle cry of those who cling to hope that the New York Giants, who looked flat and uninspired across the board in their 28-6 regular-season opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

But is one game a sign of things to come? Mike Jones of The Athletic seems to think it is, and with good reason: the Giants quarterback issue.

“It’s going to be a long year. Daniel Jones completed just 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown),” Jones said.

“Combining Sunday’s outing with last season’s six games, Jones has thrown just two touchdowns and eight interceptions since he signed that $140 million extension. It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Brian Daboll sticks with Jones before giving Drew Lock a shot. If that leash is long, the Giants could be looking at a last-place finish.”

It’s hard to argue with Jones's point, as the Giants are at sort of a crossroads with Daniel Jones. On one hand, they want to give him an opportunity to show that with some stability in terms of coaching and an improved supporting cast, he can return to his 2022 form, when he led the team to the postseason for the first time since 2016 and won a postseason game for the first time since the 2011 playoffs.

But on the other hand, Daboll is under pressure to get the franchise back on track in the right direction, a quasi-edict from team co-owner John Mara, who, while not attaching specific conditions as far as win totals or a playoff berth for this year, has said that he wants to feel good about the direction the team is headed by the end of the season.  

It would seem a Herculean challenge for the Giants to accomplish both objectives unless Jones snaps out of this funk he’s been in since last season when everything came crumbling down around him. 

Daboll, for his part, has been trying to keep Jones from getting too down on himself after Sunday’s latest debacle.

“You have relationships with players. I've had plenty of conversations with multiple players,” he said. “He's someone that I talk to every day. We talk about the discipline to do things right on and off the field like he always does, having a positive attitude regardless of the situation.”

Still, at some point, having a positive attitude can only take one so far if the other intangibles are lacking and the unpleasant truth is staring one directly in the faith.

Jones remains determined to fight through this latest adversity the only way he knows how: hard work and blocking out the noise coming outside of the building that’s calling for his job.  

“I've said a number of times I'm concerned about the people in this building, and I think I’ve got plenty of help, plenty of good coaching, plenty of good teammates to work with here. That's what I'm focused on,” he said. 

“I've got people I trust, who I have relationships with, who can help me out. But in terms of other people and what they have to say or what they think from their perspective and what their observations are, it's really not very important to me.” 

“Mental toughness is a real thing,” Daboll said. “Focus on the things that are important, which is what his coaches are teaching him to do, how he goes out and practices with the right mindset. That's what you do with every player, with every coach.”

And that’s a big reason why Jones insists his confidence in himself hasn’t been dashed.

“I'm playing to win games,” he said. “I'm playing to lead the team to score points and win games. And that's always been my focus. I know I can do that. I’ve just got to do it well.

“I’m confident I can do that.”

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