We've heard in the NFL that you shouldn't overreact after one game, especially when that one game is the season opener.
So, in the spirit of keeping a level head, I’m not going to overreact and demand that the Giants bench quarterback Daniel Jones after their brutal 28-6 loss to the Vikings in their home and season opener at MetLife Stadium.
This comes after an embarrassing day in which the franchise honored its top 100 players of all time in a lavish halftime ceremony to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
It was a day where Coach Jones looked disorganized and unprepared, failing to lead his team to the end zone despite three stalled drives in the red zone that netted just three points.
On the day, Jones completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards with two interceptions for a completion percentage of just 44.3.
Jones' quarterback partner, Sam Darnold, playing for his fourth team in five years, played like a Pro Bowl player, completing 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns with a 113.2 passing rating.
The contrast in quarterback play in the game was a criticism of losing quarterback Jones, who is in his third year under coach Brian Daboll's system but looked like he was playing his first game under the system on Sunday.
Despite all this conclusive evidence suggesting a quarterback change after the Giants have played just one game, Jones should not be benched at this point.
But a similarly poor performance against the Commanders next week should see him forced onto the bench.
One game (good or bad) is not a good enough sample size, and you could argue two games isn't enough either.
But if the Giants' offense looks as lethargic and lethargic as it did against the Vikings, Daboll may be forced to use No. 2 hitter Drew Lock against the Commanders — assuming Lock is healthy enough to play after suffering an oblique injury early in training camp.
The Giants aren't going to win games with quarterback playing the way Jones did on Sunday.
Darnold completed all seven of his passes for 94 yards and 10 of 10 for 136 yards on the game as the Vikings took a 14-3 lead with a soul-crushing 99-yard drive. Jones was 6 of 10 for 40 yards.
Darnold completed 15 of 17 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns with a passing rating of 150.2 while Jones was 8 of 16 for 55 yards and a passing rating of 58.1 as the Vikings took a 21-3 lead on their first possession of the second half.
The quarterback was the difference in this game, and while Darnold was far better than Jones, it still ended up being awful for the Giants' quarterback.
Darnold orchestrated a 99-yard scoring drive highlighted by a 44-yard pass to star receiver Justin Jefferson, and Jones threw a 10-yard intercepted pass from close range that landed right in the arms of Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel to end the game before the fourth quarter began.
Darnold was as accurate as Joe Montana, but Jones was regularly throwing short passes across the center and on the ground so receivers had no chance to catch them.
“Clearly it's not enough,” Jones said.
When I asked Jones what “concerned” him the most about his performance, he replied: “Only scoring six points, not playing well in the red zone, not being consistent and moving the ball. All of that stuff. I need to play better.”
Understandably nervous, Giants fans began booing Jones and the offense early on when they faltered, then the boos grew louder as the game went on, culminating in outright disgust after interception six.
“Our job is to give our guys something to root for and let them play well and execute,” Jones said.
Jones said it's important for his team to “understand that this is the first week and we have a lot of football to play.”
Not for Jones if things continue like this.
In the final question of his post-game press conference, Daboll was asked if looking back at the game, he might “consider” making a quarterback change.
“We're going to monitor everything,” he said. “That's not my idea.”
Whether Jones is the same person he was on Sunday may be on his mind in a week.
In fairness, Jones did have five passes dropped by receivers, but those dropped passes weren't game-winning or game-ending: After a preseason that emphasized a more aggressive, down-the-field passing approach, Jones didn't throw a pass longer than 20 yards the entire game.
Was it Daboll's play calling or Jones not being able to see the field well enough to pull the trigger? It looked like the latter.
“We have a lot of things to fix,” Daboll said.
It starts with the quarterback play.
