What Happened on Each of Giants QB Daniel Jones's Five Sacks?

We turn to the game film to see if the five sacks Daniel Jones absorbed were on the offensive line, the quarterback, or both.

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) passes the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half at MetLife Stadium. / John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Giants lost to the Minnesota Vikings 28-6 at home Sunday, and much has been made of the play of starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who had a performance to forget. 

Jones threw for 186 yards on 42 attempts with zero touchdowns and two interceptions and dealt with some pressure from the Vikings' defense. Jones was pressured 18 times with a pressure rate of 36.7% placing him 11th among starting quarterbacks after opening week in the NFL. He was sacked five times, the second-most behind Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson. 

Some of the pressure and sacks Jones endured were of his own doing, either because he panicked or held onto the ball too long in the hope of making a play. In this analysis, I will break down each of the five sacks he endured as each tells a different story.

First Sack

On 3rd-and-goal from the Vikings 5-yard line, the Giants were in 12-personnel (one running back, two tight ends) out of the shotgun. Jones wanted to get the ball to rookie TE Theo Johnson on an inside route against man coverage.

However, Johnson's route was physically disrupted by the coverage defender forcing Jones to hold onto the football. He climbed up in the pocket where the interior pressure corralled him for their first sack in the game. 

Second Sack 

On 2nd-and-10 with 26 seconds left in the first half, Jones was forced to hold onto the football due to the coverage by the Vikings' defense. The Vikings clamped down on every route and did not give Jones anywhere to throw the football. 

He attempted to move up in the pocket, but was swarmed by rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner on a twist/stunt. There was not much for Jones and the offense to accomplish against the clock and the defensive set.

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) carries the ball while being defended by Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / John Jones-Imagn Images

Third Sack

On 2nd-and-10 in the 3rd quarter, Jones executes a play-action run fake to Devin Singletary before entering his dropback. He has a deep stop route down the field but does not trust the lurking underneath linebacker and turns the throw down. 

Jones begins to climb the pocket with the intention of throwing to the same receiver but runs right into the arms of defensive tackle Harrison Phillips as he retraces to pursue a climbing Jones in the pocket. Put this sack on Jones.

Fourth Sack

Jones and the Giants offense did not have a chance to execute the play call due to the immediate pressure from Vikings coordinator Brian Flores' defense. Soon after the snap, Jones had an unblocked/free-running defender in his face, who he evaded to keep the play alive. 

Unfortunately, it turns into a slight scramble drill and Jones, who should have sought to throw the ball away, is caged in behind the line of scrimmage for another sack. 

Fifth Sack

Jones' fifth and final sack came in the fourth quarter with 1:10 second on the clock. Facing a Cover-2 shell, Jones gets to the top of his drop after the snap and has Malik Nabers running a go-route into the void between the safety and corner. 

Jones sees it, but does not rip the throw and panics after sensing the pressure. His eyes came down from his receivers to the defensive line and he was ultimately brought down yet again, this sack being his own doing.

Final Thoughts

The loss on Sunday wasn’t all on Daniel Jones, but he certainly didn’t help the cause. Three of the sacks he absorbed are pretty much on him, and all have one thing in common: he panicked when his first read was taken away. 

This has been an ongoing problem with him since he came into the NFL. Whether that gets fixed in a week or two or three is unlikely as if it hasn’t been fixed by now, the odds of that happening don’t seem promising.

However, it will still be interesting to see how Brian Daboll tweaks the offense to give Jones the best chance to succeed, regardless of how long he decides to stick with Jones. 

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