Jayden Daniels gives Giants a stark reminder of how quickly things can change

Jayden Daniels gives Giants a stark reminder of how quickly things can change

The numbers are out there, but it seems as if something must be missing. 

There is a six then a 15, and a seven then a three.

Four numbers representing the points scored in four home games for the Giants.

That means in 240 minutes of football, there are eight field goals, one touchdown, adding up to 31 points and zero wins. 

And yet, Daniel Jones, the orchestrator of this meager attack, insists he always believes a scoring outburst is waiting around the bend. 

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants have largely struggled this year. Noah K. Murray-NY Post

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“Yeah, we expect to play well and score points every week,’’ Jones said. “I think we always go into it with that approach. We got to do a better job finishing and keeping from hurting ourselves in those situations, the stuff that’s keeping us from scoring those points.’’ 

This is fine and dandy, and a way of thinking very much isolated to Jones and whoever else among his teammates continues to buy in.

The Giants (2-6) face the Commanders (6-2) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and if any of the loyalists in the seats are anticipating end zone visits and a points parade, well, bless their cockeyed optimism. 

This is the first NFC East rematch of the season for the Giants, who have lost three consecutive games, and awaiting them is a flashing-light reminder of what can happen to an entire franchise when a new quarterback hits town. 

Jayden Daniels had had an impressive rookie season for the Commanders. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Oh, it is easy to bring in a new quarterback.

What we are referring to here is procuring the ideal new quarterback.

It is the most difficult roster requirement to find and the most crucial to fill. 

One guy can make all the difference. 

“Without a doubt,’’ linebacker Micah McFadden told The Post. “Especially when it’s a quarterback. The ball’s in his hands 100 percent of the time.’’ 

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) leaves the field after an 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Landover, Md. AP

At this time last year, the Commanders were 3-5, including a 14-7 loss to the Giants in Week 7, on their way to losing seven straight games to get to 4-13.

That earned them the No. 2 pick in the draft.

In this situation, teams often do not get it right.

It appears the Commanders have struck gold.

They are alone in first place in the NFC East, and rookie Jayden Daniels is not merely along for the ride, he is in the pilot seat and leading the ascent. 

Daniels arrived at a most opportune time, an addition that stacked up as the key building block to what was a true seismic shift in more ways than one.

The ouster of onerous owner Dan Snyder and the sale to Josh Harris completely changed the tenor of the franchise.

There is a new head coach (Dan Quinn in, Ron Rivera out) and a bunch of lower-key but effective moves with the abundant money available in free agency. 

The quarterback stirs the pot, though, and Daniels has cooked up an appetizing brew that has the league hungry for more.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) scrambles past Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell (39) in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Landover, Md. AP

He is second in the NFL in completion percentage (71.8), and he is not dinking and dunking the ball down the field.

He is fifth in the league in yards per pass attempt (8.4).

He is seventh in passer rating (104.3), 12th in passing yards (1,736), seventh in interception percentage (1.0), 14th in sacks taken (17) and 22nd in touchdown passes (seven). 

Giants head coach Brian Daboll speaks to the media before practice in East Rutherford, N.J. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

“He’s one of the better quarterbacks in the league already,’’ head coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s got great vision, can throw the ball in any area he needs to throw it, he can throw it under pressure, he can escape, make plays with his feet, he can escape, make plays with his arm, good command. We knew he was a smart guy when we spoke with him. He’s playing really well, at a high level.’’ 

It seemed as if Daboll would go on all day singing the virtues of Daniels.

Of course, we already knew what Daboll thought of Daniels, thanks to plenty of evidentiary video on “Hard Knocks’’ that revealed Daboll offered his endorsement of the player and his approval to attempt to trade up from the No. 6-overall pick in the draft to get him. 

Daboll gushed about Daniels before the Week 2 encounter — a 21-18 Commanders victory, with the Giants scoring three touchdowns but constrained because they did not have a healthy kicker — and so many of his words about Daniels can be construed as what Daboll knows he does not have with Jones.