“If Daniel Jones were a top-tier quarterback, he would raise the level of play of those around him.”
How often have the New York Giants and their fans heard those words over the past several years? It may sound cliche but if we each had a dollar, we’d all be filthy rich.
Buy Giants TicketsOf course, supporters of Jones would argue that he has raised the level of play around him despite perceptions. The Giants have lacked any real talent outside of running back Saquon Barkley since DJ was selected sixth overall in 2019 and he’s somehow still managed to produce.
No, Jones hasn’t put up Patrick Mahomes-like numbers in recent years and no one mistakes him for that type of game-changing talent, but even the great Mahomes has limitations.
With the nation watching on, Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs got to walk a mile in DJ’s shoes on Thursday night.
With tight end Travis Kelce (knee) sitting out due to injury, two ex-Giants were thrust into the spotlight. Kadarius Toney and Richie James Jr. became two of Mahomes’ top receiving targets. And hey, since Mahomes is a top-tier quarterback he’d raise their level of play, right?
Well… Not so much.
Coupled with a leaky offensive line that was allowing too much pressure and a run game that couldn’t get going because the Detroit Lions were able to stack the box, Mahomes struggled to make things happen. He finished the night having completed 21 of his 39 pass attempts for just 226 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also led the team with 45 yards rushing out of pure necessity.
On top of that, Mahomes was pressured more than a dozen times and hit seven.
Then there was Toney and James, the ex-Giants and one-time top targets of Daniel Jones. The latter had just one reception for six yards and the former, let’s call him the Yung Joka, struggled.
Yeah, we’ll go with “struggled.”
Toney, who Chiefs fans proudly boast as their WR1, was targeted a team-high five times. And that makes sense given his dynamic talent, right? After all, Kansas City was going to figure out how to utilize him properly since the Giants never could.
At least that was the pre-game talking point.
The “proper utilization” of Toney resulted in one reception for one yard and one rush for negative yards. Not only did Toney finish the game with net-zero yards, he also dropped three passes — all three right in his hands — with one being intercepted off the deflection and returned for a touchdown.
Mahomes and the Chiefs lost, 21-20.
After the game, national pundits and fans alike immediately rushed to Mahomes’ defense. No longer was it “top-tier quarterbacks raise the level of play of those around them” but instead, it was “Mahomes was let down by his offensive line and supporting cast.”
Interesting narrative shift to say the least.
It may have been just one night but the entire football world got to see exactly what Jones has been dealing with for the better part of his career. And even Mahomes, who is unquestionably the best quarterback in football, couldn’t overcome those odds.
