Filling the shoes of a legend is never difficult, especially when that legend is looking over your shoulder, but Daniel Jones put on a display of athleticism that’s been missing in the New York Giants quarterback ranks since Jeff Hostetler left in 1993.
In a week that had the Giants fan base split over whether it was too early to start Jones or not (mainly out of loyalty to Eli Manning), Jones silenced any naysayers for one week.
By passing for two touchdowns and running for another two in the second largest halftime comeback by a rookie (18 points), he did everything his predecessor couldn’t: win with his feet. He also completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards and 0 interceptions.
This isn’t to say that Jones’ performance was perfect. He did suffer a pair of strip sacks (hopefully not something he learned from Manning), but he also emulated Manning’s poise in the pocket as he made the perfect throw or decision to run at crucial times to get the Giants back in the game and eventually win.
The Buccaneers
Of course, the comeback was helped by the Buccaneers switching to a conservative second half approach offensively instead of letting Winston (23 of 37 for 380 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception) continue to carve apart the Giants secondary that hasn’t shown a sign of life. It also didn’t help that the Buccaneers’ kicker, Matt Gay, missed two extra points (one was blocked) and then a chip short 34 yard field goal to close the game out.
While the Buccaneers did a lot right in the first half of the game that saw them score 28 points on 4 drives (5 scores on their first 5 drives overall), they did everything the reverse in the second half and allowed Jones and the Giants the chance to recover.
The comeback started
After losing their most explosive player (Shaquan Barkley for 4-to 6 weeks with a high ankle sprain) to a leg injury in the first half, the Giants needed to score early in the second half, and did so on their first play when Jones him tight end Engram (6 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown) in stride, and the tight end flashed his 4.41 40 yard dash speed enroute to a 75 yard touchdown.
While both teams now sit at 1-2, the Giants return home to face a winnable game against the Washington Redskins, while the Bucs travel to Los Angeles to face the defending NFC champions, the Los Angeles Rams.
