At this time last week, it felt inevitable that the New York Giants would soon bench quarterback Daniel Jones so that they could keep him healthy and then release him in March 2025.
Days after Jones guided the Giants to a 21-15 Week 3 win at the Cleveland Browns, his teammates praised the way he continues to handle outside noise and takes regarding his performances and his future.
"DJ is very confident," Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas said on Tuesday, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. "He’s very headstrong. With a lot of adversity and a lot of criticism, he just continues to come to work every day and he doesn’t let it affect him. We have confidence in him. He’s been showing what we can do."
While Jones looked lost throughout portions of the season-opening 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8, he produced what likely would have been a winning performance against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 15 had head coach Brian Daboll ensured before the game the Giants would have a healthy placekicker available for the majority of the contest. Jones then completed 24-of-34 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no picks at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field.
Jones had an early interception negated by a penalty this past Sunday afternoon, but The Athletic's Dan Duggan noted that the 27-year-old also connected on 10-of-17 passes for 94 yards with two scores and no picks when he was pressured during that matchup.
"He doesn’t let anybody else know if he is affected by it, so we don’t know," safety Jason Pinnock said about how Jones reacts to fans and analysts calling for the club to sit the 2019 first-round draft pick. "That’s what leaders do. Never show it when you’re hurt."
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Giants as 5.5-point underdogs for the upcoming "Thursday Night Football" game against a 1-2 Dallas Cowboys side that is coming off back-to-back defeats. Jones likely won't be playing for his job at MetLife Stadium this week, but he could silence some doubters by leading his team to a second straight upset victory.
