UPDATE (4:21 PM): Speaking to reporters after the game, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll says Daniel Jones will start at QB next Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Our original story is below.
It looks highly unlikely the Pittsburgh Steelers will see Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson this season. Now it seems questionable if they’ll face New York Giants QB Daniel Jones next Monday night. Jones has been benched for Drew Lock in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants currently being blown out 28-3.
Prior to the move, Jones was a paltry 14-of-21 for 99 yards, zero touchdowns and interceptions, and a whopping seven sacks as the offense has done little today against the Eagles.
So far, Lock hasn’t fared much better, going 3-of-6 for 6-yards and one sack.
The Giants, poised to fall to 2-5 on the season, have gotten little return on their investment in Jones, signing him to a four-year, $160 million extension in March of 2023. A move that was questioned at the time has only looked worse over time. Last year, he went 1-5 as a starter with two touchdowns and six interceptions before an ACL ended his season.
Returning healthy in time for the start of 2024, Jones has completed 62-percent of his passes with six touchdowns and four interceptions. But the bottom line is the Giants’ offense has been bad with him and the team hasn’t won the last two years, going 6-11 last year and starting off 2-4 heading into this game.
Now, it seems the Giants will have to make a decision on who to start when they face the Steelers next Monday. They could roll with Lock, who has shown flashes in the past. He’s played in one game against Pittsburgh, starting a 2020 contest against the Steelers. It was short-lived, going 1-of-5 for 20 yards before injuring his shoulder and exiting the game.
Jones has made one career start against the Steelers, the 2020 opener. A 26-16 Pittsburgh win, Jones went 26-of-41 for 279 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked three times.
Should Lock become the starter, it’ll be the second time Pittsburgh’s faced a quarterback change. Ahead of Week 6, the Las Vegas Raiders made the move from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O’Connell. They also faced an in-game change in Week 4 when Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson suffered an injury, replaced by Joe Flacco.
While the Steelers seem set on starting Russell Wilson in Week 8 no matter what happens in tonight’s debut, the Giants could enter the week unsure of their starter on the other side.
