What Daniel Jones had to say after losing to the Patriots
"I mean, I think I didn’t play well by any means."
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones entered Thursday night’s game against the Patriots with high hopes.
“We came into the game expecting to win,” Jones said after his team’s 35-14 defeat. “We expected to win and we came in confident.”
Like the Redskins did a week ago, Jones and the Giants stuck around in the first half, tallying both an offensive and defensive touchdown to tie the score at 14 in the second quarter. Jones hit wide receiver Golden Tate for a 64-yard score, which was followed by linebacker Markus Golden recovering a Tom Brady fumble and running it into the end zone.
“To sound like we were surprised at that point, to be tied, I’m not sure anyone was thinking that,” Jones said.
Brady and Co. put together a 75-yard drive that ended with him scoring a rushing touchdown and giving the Patriots a 21-14 lead headed into the intermission.
The Giants’ defense, a group that ranks among the bottom in the league for total yards given up, forced a turnover on downs, an interception, and three punts from the Patriots’ offense in the first half. New England’s top-ranked defense, however, stifled any semblance of New York’s offensive rhythm, intercepting Jones twice and forcing two three-and-out drives in that same span.
After the break, the Patriots gave up only 79 total yards for no points. Jones threw another interception, his third of the game and sixth of the season.
Each pick was the result of a different issue, he said, whether it was holding onto the ball too long or reading the coverage incorrectly. Moving forward, the 22-year-old Duke product noted he needs to make faster decisions and take better care of the ball.
“I mean, I think I didn’t play well by any means,” Jones said. “I don’t think it was overwhelming, I think it was just bad plays [and] bad decisions.”
The Giants were without three of their strongest offensive weapons in running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver Sterling Shepard, and tight end Evan Engram, but Jones didn’t use the injuries as an excuse. He finished with 151 passing yards, completing 15 of his 31 attempts.
Coach Pat Shurmur called his rookie passer’s performance “gritty.” His advice after a night like Thursday?
“Just keep playing,” Shurmur said. “Just keep playing.”
Shurmur stressed he takes no solace in the fact that the game was close.
“We didn’t win,” he said. “We didn’t make enough plays. That’s what this is about.”
“There are no moral victories,” echoed safety Antoine Bethea. “We came here to win and we lost.”
