The Giants entered their Week 3 matchup against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football with a 2-0 record. For the third straight week, New York’s offense got off to a slow start. This time, Daniel Jones and company couldn’t recover against a tough Dallas defense that constantly brought the pressure.
If it felt like Jones was getting pressured way more than usual, it’s because that’s exactly what happened at MetLife Stadium on Monday night:
Daniel Jones was pressured on 24 dropbacks Monday night. Most in NFL this season, per @ESPNStatsInfo. Most by a Giants QB since ESPN began tracking pressures in 2009.
Jones now pressured on 40.8% snaps this season, second only to Justin Fields.
Giants-Bears on Sunday.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) September 27, 2022
The offensive line struggled a bunch in this matchup, and Evan Neal dealt with a lot of it. Growing pains for the rookie tackle were expected, but this is the type of performance that will humble and motivate a young player to learn and progress forward.
Although this loss drops Jones’ record in primetime games to 0-9, he did what he could to make things happen. He completed 20-of-37 passes for 196 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception (which really wasn’t his fault). The quarterback also used the pressure he saw to make something happen with his legs.
Jones ended up rushing nine times for 79 yards. In the first two weeks of the season, the signal-caller rushed 16 times for 46 yards. In reviewing what happened at the Meadowlands, Daboll had this to say about his quarterback (quote via Giantswire):
He was under some duress. He escaped. He made some loose plays. He did some things with his feet. He made some good throws. He competed his tail off. He’s really improved every practice, and he was a good leader out there. And he competed as hard as he could compete and gave us a chance.
It’s notable that the first-year head coach also sees these tough games as an opportunity for players to show what they can do when conditions for producing on the field aren’t optimal. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows out on the gridiron. But there are always ways to look at a situation with the glass half full while still focusing on things that need to be improved.
More on ESNY:
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• Nobody is more upset about the Giants’ Week 3 loss than this guy
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Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
