Giants’ Daniel Jones: ‘I got to play better’ but mentally in ‘good spot’ after Week 1 boos

National Football League

Published Sep. 11, 2024 9:19 p.m. ET

After an offseason in which the New York Giants openly flirted with drafting his replacement and a Week 1 game in which he was booed by the home crowd at MetLife Stadium, quarterback Daniel Jones admitted that he and his teammates have to improve and he understands and empathizes with fans’ frustration.

Jones completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in Sunday’s 28-6 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He was also booed by fans who saw him make his way out of the stadium after the game. Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard even made waves earlier this week by saying that Minnasota’s defenders “felt a little bit bad” for Jones during Sunday’s game.

“I’m not easily offended,” Jones said Wednesday, via The Athletic. “I understand how it works and know I got to play better. We all got to play better.”

Jones was making his return to game action after tearing his ACL in Week 9 of last season against the Las Vegas Raiders, a dismal end for what had been an underwhelming first season under a controversial four-year, $160 million contract extension he received the previous spring.

Giants officials publicly acknowledged last offseason that they were considering drafting a quarterback either with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft or in a possible trade up the board, but instead drafted wide receiver Malik Nabers out of LSU. Still, the team did acquire Drew Lock — who has 23 games’ worth of NFL starter experience with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks — to be their No. 2 quarterback, and there were rumors at the time of Lock’s arrival that he could compete with Jones for the starting job.

Tommy DeVito, a native of nearby New Jersey who became a fan-favorite when taking over the starting quarterback job as an undrafted rookie last year after Jones’ injury, also remains on the Giants’ depth chart.

Colin Cowherd on whether Giants can win with Daniel Jones

If Jones is feeling the pressure, though, he is not showing it.

“I feel like I’ve been doubted plenty — for a long time — and I’ve dealt with that time and time again, and done a good job with it,” Jones said Wednesday, via the New York Post. “So I think my mental toughness is in a good spot, and I’m not concerned about that.”

Jones is in line to start when the Giants face the NFC East rival Washington Commanders on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.)

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