Daniel Jones and the New York Giants had a dismal start to the 2024 season. The Giants suffered a crushing 28-6 defeat against Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, marking a rough beginning for Jones.
The Giants fell behind early, trailing 14-3 by the second quarter, and never managed to mount a comeback. They only managed 240 yards of total offense, with Jones completing 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards. His performance was marred by an interception returned for a touchdown by Vikings defensive end Andrew Van Ginkel, and he was intercepted again at the start of the fourth quarter.
In his first regular-season game since a torn ACL sidelined him in November 2023, Jones struggled, recording just 15 rushing yards on six attempts.
On the other side, Sam Darnold made a strong debut for the Vikings, completing 79.2% of his passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Justin Jefferson led the Vikings with four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Fans were quick to criticize Jones’ performance, especially in light of Saquon Barkley’s standout game elsewhere.
Robert Griffin III tweeted: “Daniel Jones throwing a pick 6 to go down 28 to 6 is MAGNIFIED by the fact that Saquon BARKLEY went to a different country and scored 3 TDs in Brazil on prime time TV. Giants owner John Mara must be LIVID.”
Despite the overall poor performance, Malik Nabers, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 draft, showed promise with five catches for 66 yards. The Giants will look to recover in their Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders.