Giants Country

Daniel Jones Carries Giants Across Finish Line in Another Comeback Victory

The Giants won their sixth game of the season, led by a stellar performance from quarterback Daniel Jones.

Andrew Parsaud

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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For the fifth time in seven weeks, the New York Giants won in comeback fashion, this time defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17 en route to a 6-1 record. This is the Giants’ best start to a season since 2008 when they also won six of their first seven games.

So how do they do it? How have the Giants been able to close out games in the fourth quarter, something they’ve struggled with in recent years?

“I think there's just a competitive spirit. There's a mental toughness to our group. Regardless of what's happened earlier in the game or regardless of the situation. We've got confidence that we're going to execute and find ways to win," said quarterback Daniel Jones, who finished 19 of 30 for 202 yards and one touchdown in the air, and 11 for 107 with one rushing touchdown on the ground.

Jones deserves a lot of credit for his performance. His top receiving targets have been out of the picture for weeks, and a new obstacle was placed in his path this Sunday. The offensive line took two major blows: left guard Ben Bredeson and rookie right tackle Evan Neal both left the game with knee injuries. 

Despite the two fill-ins, the Giants offense could still orchestrate long, sustaining drives and put points on the board.

Jones, who each week continues to solidify his case to be this team's long-term franchise quarterback, not only had to deal with the offensive line shuffling, but his receivers also let him down at the worst times. 

Marcus Johnson signed to the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s matchup. Johnson had two drops in this game, one coming on a crucial 4th-and-2, in which Jones was caught on camera yelling at the receiver to “catch the ball.”

“Yeah. [It was the] heat of the moment, and I wish I could have that situation back," Jones said sheepishly. "I pride myself on being composed in those situations. Yeah, I wasn't there. I've got full faith and confidence in the world in [Giants WR] Marcus [Johnson], and yeah, [I'm] disappointed I let that happen.”

Jones was asked why he felt disappointed about showing emotion.  

“It's just [that] I want to be composed in those situations. I'm just competitive; it was in the heat of the moment. I think you get fiery. Obviously, you want to score there. I've got a lot of confidence in (Johnson), and [I] don't want to do that to any teammate.”

 Coming into this game, the Jaguars run defense allowed just 3.6 yards per carry and less than 90 rushing yards per game. 

That all changed against the Giants, as the Jaguars allowed not one but two 100-yard rushers. Saquon Barkley ran for 110 yards and Jones, 107, the first pair of Giants teammates to do so in one game since 2010. 

Jones agreed that the Jaguars attention on Barkley was a key to his success with running the ball.

“I think that was a big piece of it. He attracts a lot of attention, rightfully so, and then some things opened up off of it. I thought the offensive line did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage throughout the game and cleared some opportunities for us to make plays.”

Jones has not only been playing solid ball, but he's also showing growth as a player and a leader. And it's largely due to his play, which had been devoid of the boneheaded mistakes he's made in the past, as well as the carelessness with ball security, that's fuelling the Giants' surprising run.  

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Andrew Parsaud
ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams. 

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