The New York Giants were the only NFL team on Sunday to fail to reach double digits in points scoring with their 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The sold-out crowd at MetLife Stadium reacted accordingly, booing the team on every failed drive and on both of Daniel Jones’ interceptions, which included a woeful pick-six to Andrew Van Ginkel late in the third quarter.
Jones played his first game since Nov. 5, 2023, after recovering from a torn ACL. He completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards and those two interceptions, while being sacked five times.
The boos came out in full force from a frustrated fan base, angering Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
“I don’t respect it, honestly,” Lawrence said. “I get it, they want to see their team win. It’s just a bad streak. It is what it is.”
Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said he understood the fans’ feelings.
“I don’t blame them. We have to be better and we will be,” he said. “Obviously, it’s New York City, they want to win. Us as an offense and me as a player and starting right tackle, we can all be better all the time. You can always do more, no matter if you win or lose.”
Most of the frustration stems from Jones’ performance. He signed a four-year, $160 million contract before the 2023 season and the Giants are now 1-6 in games he has started since then and have only topped double-digits in points scored in three of them.
“Our job is to give them something to cheer about,” Jones said. “And we take that very seriously.”
To add to the myriad of problems, such as Josh Dubow of the Associated Press He noted that after Van Ginkel’s touchdown, Jones has now thrown more touchdown passes to opposing teams (3) than to his teammates (2) since signing that contract.
It got to the point where fans booed Jones as he left the stadium after Sunday’s loss.
Eluemunor responded to that post in X “Today didn’t go as I expected, I understand that, but this is absolutely crazy. As someone who has dealt with and continues to deal with depression and confidence issues, this has to stop. It’s okay to be upset as a fan, but to come to the entrance of the players and act like this is inhumane. We will get better, this has to get better too.”
After making the playoffs in their first season under coach Brian Daboll in 2022, the Giants are 7-11 since then and the pressure is on for them to make a quick turnaround. There are jobs up for grabs, including Daboll’s, and if Jones continues to struggle, it would be wise to turn to Drew Lock, who signed in March, or Tommy DeVito, who enjoyed a run of success last season following Jones’ injury.
There will be plenty of questions for Daboll to answer as the Giants prepare for their Week 2 game against Washington, one of which will be how long will Jones’ leash last?
“We’re going to look at everything,” Daboll said when asked if he might consider a quarterback change after reviewing game film. “That’s not on my mind.”
