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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones did not fare particularly well from a statistical perspective in 2020, passing for just 2,943 yards and 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
Analytically however, Jones made massive strides forward and finished the season with a near 80.0 grade courtesy of Pro Football Focus, which puts him in the top half of quarterbacks with 400 or more snaps.
That wasn’t enough to sway Pro Football Network in their recent QB power rankings. They ranked Jones near the very bottom of the league behind the likes of Mitchell Trubisky, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock and Jared Goff.
#23 – Daniel Jones, New York Giants ⇑4
Season: 14 GP | 210.2 (22nd) | 62.5% (28th) | 6.2 avg CAY (13th) | 2.5 TD% (T-29th) | 2.2 INT% (T-17th) | 24.27 OVM (16th) | 423 rush yards (6th) | 1 rush TD (T-21st)
Daniel Jones appeared much more nimble on Sunday, allowing him to extend plays and throw from outside of the pocket. The offense benefitted from Jones’ improved health, but it was too little too late as the New York Giants were unable to capture a division crown and subsequent playoff birth. As a whole, Jones’ 2020 season left us wanting more. As the offense began to gel mid-season, the injuries hit, and Jones’ growth was stunted. For that reason, Jones’ sophomore numbers weren’t much different from that of his rookie campaign. The biggest discrepancy was in the touchdown pass category where Jones threw 11 scores this season compared to his 24 from a year ago. Quite the disparity.
From a pure statistical standpoint, Jones belongs at No. 23 or thereabouts. But the problem with statistics is how loosely they represent reality.
As an example, Jones’ completion percentage is particularly low because the Giants were among the league-worst in dropped passes. And those interceptions? Six of the team’s 12 (five of Jones’ 11) came when targeting tight end Evan Engram. And three of those went off Engram’s hands into the waiting arms of a defender.
That not only alters the numbers and perception of Jones, it also caps his yardage and touchdown totals. Between Engram and wide receiver Darius Slayton, they left a projected 49 points on the field in 2020 and cost the Giants at least one victory.
There’s always more than meets the eye when breaking things down and Jones didn’t play as poorly as the base statistics would suggest.
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