Giants QB Jones is booed in ugly first game back since ACL injury

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After working for more than nine months to recover from ACL surgery, Daniel Jones didn't quite have a storybook return for the New York Giants in their season opener.

The quarterback was booed.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft played poorly in a 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, throwing two interceptions — including a pick-6 on swing pass that Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel caught with one hand before walking into the end zone.

“Obviously not good enough. Didn’t get in the end zone, scored six points,” said Jones, who finshed 22 of 42 for 186 yards. “Didn’t create much rhythm and flow for ourselves. I’ve got to be better, certainly got to play better, give ourselves more chances to make plays and execute more consistently.”

While he struggled, the 27-year-old Jones wasn't entirely to blame. The revamped offensive line that was supposed to keep him upright allowed him to be sacked five times. New York had just 74 yards rushing on 21 carries, with some of the longer runs coming after the game was decided.

After preaching about throwing the ball downfield since training camp opened, the Giants didn't go deep once. The longest play was a pair of 25-yard catches by first-round draft pick Malik Nabors. Eight of the Giants' 68 offensive plays were for more than 10 yards.

“It’s certainly frustrating and disappointing to get the result today that we did,” Jones said. “I think for us, we’ve got to understand this is the first week and there’s a lot of football to play, so we’ve got to clean it up. We’ve got to make some improvements fast and a lot of football to play, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

After making the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record in Brian Daboll's first season as head coach in 2022, the Giants disappointed fans last season by going 6-11. The fans were clearly frustrated at halftime with New York down 14-3 and they booed the team off the field.

They were just as unhappy after the Vikings scored on the opening possession of the second half. And they were furious after Van Ginkel stepped in front of a swing pass to Wan'Dale Robinson and scored to make it 28-6.

Most Giants fans booed. And those who stayed, booed Jones when he came back on the field for the next series.

Daboll, who's calling the offensive plays this season, said he never considered removing Jones from the game. He said everyone on the team needs to do a better job, starting with him.

“I know what we’re going to do," Daboll said. “We’re going to come back in tomorrow morning, go to work, learn, have a good week of practice and do everything we can do to get ready for Week 2.”

The Giants hit the road next Sunday, facing the Washington Commanders.

“We beat ourselves today, we had a lot of penalties that we need to fix on,” said Nabers, who had five catches for a team-high 66 yards. “So, staying backed up, when you’re backed up it’s kind of hard to get right on track, so we've got to stay above the sticks.”

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence wasn't happy with all the booing.

“I don’t respect it, honestly,” he said. “I get it, they want to see their team win. It’s just a rough patch. It is what it is.”

Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor wasn't as upset.

“I mean, shoot, I don’t blame them. We need to be better, and we will be better,” Eluemunor said. “Obviously, it’s New York City, they want to win. Us as an offense and me as a player and starting right tackle, we all can always be better. There’s always more you can do, doesn’t matter win or loss.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl