Daniel Jones had his second straight pedestrian game after an eye-opening debut. The rookie finished 21-for-38 for 182 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Minnesota Vikings. That performance came in a 28-10 loss to the Vikings.
The schedule does not get any easier for the New York Giants as they prepare to play the New England Patriots and their No. 1 ranked defense on Thursday night. This will be Jones' biggest test of his career so far.
Here are three bold predictions for Jones and the Giants when they head to Foxborough.
3. Jones Goes For Less Than 200 Yards
Jones did not eclipse the 200-yard mark against the Vikings and now he will hit the road to take on one of the league's best defenses. Sterling Shepard will miss this game with a concussion. Since becoming the starter, Jones and Evan Engram have not had success outside of a 75-yard touchdown in Tampa Bay.
The Giants have not revealed the status of Saquon Barkley for Thursday night yet. Some believe that he could be on the field for this game and the Giants desperately need him back. If he is active, New York will be giving the ball to their superstar quite a bit. Regardless, Jones will not be throwing the ball down the field much in this game.
2. Giants Cover the Spread
Let's throw a positive in here since there will not be many for the Giants. They come into this game as a 17-point underdog on the road. That number seems appropriate and the Giants could cover it for a few reasons.
First, despite the Patriots' defense, Jones should be able to take care of the ball. With few weapons on offense, the Giants will throw short passes for completions to try and keep Tom Brady off the field. If Jones does not force the ball down the field, his ball security could help the Giants cover late in the game.
The Patriots are not shy about pulling their starters. Against the New York Jets, New England took a 30-0 lead, then proceeded to pull Brady and give up two late scores. The Giants will not be down 30-0 in this game, but it will still be a backdoor cover. We could see a 30-14 final in this game.
1. Jones Throws 40 Times
In three games, Jones has not attempted 40 passes yet. This past week against the Vikings was the most passes he ever threw with 38. He averaged 4.8 yards per pass attempt. Against New England, Jones will throw the ball 40 times for the first time.
Wayne Gallman is in concussion protocol with Shepard. The Giants will have a hard time running the ball if Barkley is not cleared to play. Even if he does play, Jones will be throwing because the team will be playing from behind. The Giants will use short passes as their run game on Thursday night.
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