New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t hide his frustrations over being benched by head coach Brian Daboll in Sunday’s 28-3 home blowout loss to the rival Philadelphia Eagles that dropped the Giants to 2-5 on the season.
Daboll spoke with reporters after the defeat and addressed both his decision and Jones’ short-term future.
“I made a change in the fourth quarter when it was 28-3, had about 100 yards, just to create a spark,” Daboll explained, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Daniel will be the quarterback going forward. But obviously, we didn’t do enough offensively.”
It’s unclear exactly what “going forward” means in this instance, as The Athletic’s Dan Duggan mentioned that Sunday felt “like the beginning of the end” of Jones’ time with the organization. Duggan added that the 27-year-old “mostly stood by himself on the sideline” and stared “expressionless at the field after he was benched.”
Jones admitted after the game that it was “frustrating” to be pulled in favor of backup Drew Lock, who did little of note during his cameo.
“You want to be out there playing with your teammates and fighting to score points and move the ball,” Jones added. “So, I was frustrated, but not my decision.”
Per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports, Jones hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass during a home game since Jan. 1, 2023. According to ESPN stats, Jones ended the weekend ranked 25th in the NFL with a 46.8 adjusted QBR and 26th with an 80.6 passer rating on the season. He has taken the second-most sacks in the league (21) and has recorded just six touchdown passes for the ongoing campaign.
Daboll insisted on Sunday that everything associated with the Big Blue offense “just wasn’t good enough” against the Eagles. Nevertheless, it’s easy to understand why Duggan believes Sunday’s events will be remembered as the first steps of an inevitable Jones-Giants breakup. Daboll can and likely will soon sit a healthy Jones for good so that the team can escape what’s left of the four-year contract the signal-caller signed in March 2023 during the upcoming offseason.
As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Giants as six-point underdogs for next Monday’s game at the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. It appears Jones will get the start for that contest, but Daboll may have a quick hook if the New York offense fails to produce touchdown drives at Acrisure Stadium.
