Pressure mounts for Daniel Jones, Giants in Week 2 Commanders matchup

LANDOVER, Md. — At this point, there is nothing more to say. 

Nothing Daniel Jones can say that will assuage the legion of Giants fans who have had enough of him.

Nothing coach Brian Daboll can say to soothe the fragile psyches of those same fans and convince them that this season will not turn out the way so many of those sad, sorry seasons went for pretty much the past decade. 

There is not much Kayvon Thibodeaux can say, or newcomer Brian Burns can add, for that matter, to make up for a 2024 debut that fell far short of producing the mayhem the big guys up front need to manufacture.

There are no monologues the offensive linemen can deliver — stalwart left tackle Andrew Thomas need not partake here — to convince anyone that this group can blow people off the ball with the frequency and ferocity required of a powerhouse rushing attack. 

The best part for the Giants entering Week 2 is that the inadequacies revealed in a desultory 28-6 smack-down by the Vikings only can count as one loss, meaning they are 0-1 — same as 15 other teams around the league after Week 1 — entering Sunday’s NFC East meeting with the Commanders at Northwest Stadium.

The Giants cannot be penalized because they were nearly booed and jeered out of their own building. 

There is a whole lot of badness to unpack, and yet Jones can be singled out for this: If he does not purge away a truly disturbing opening act, the Giants have no chance. 

The scrutiny and pressure on Jones is immense, and potentially suffocating.

It is actually a good thing that he is away from his home fans this weekend.

Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard said he and his teammates on defense “kind of started to feel a little bit bad for him, as we were just taking away everything he wanted to do.’’

Former NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph was with the Giants for one year (2021), developed a friendship with Jones and was dismayed with what he saw. 

“It’s not the guy I played with,’’ Rudolph said. “His confidence looks completely destroyed.’’ 

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, a former NFL offensive lineman, told The Post, “I just don’t see Daniel looking relaxed and playing loose. He looks like he’s just really tight.’’ 

Jones at mid-week sounded fine — for what that is worth. He talked about needing to be “cleaner with my feet’’ and stressed he had to “just play quicker … playing fast, trusting it.’’

It is a mystery to those in the building why he came out of the gate with an almost zombie-like performance, and the hope is that Jones needs more time on task after not having played in a real game since last November. 

No one doubts Jones will work at it.

The buzzards are circling, though. 

“Yeah, everyone’s entitled to their opinion,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “He’s tough, not only just on the field, but I know he’s got to handle all that. Being a quarterback, you have to deal with that stuff — whether it’s good, whether it’s bad. … Being a quarterback, that’s kind of your role a little bit. 

“He’s done it better than I’ve probably seen anyone else do it, especially handling some of the things he’s had to go through with injuries and things like that. So, I’m proud of him for that. And I don’t think his confidence has ever wavered since I’ve been here.’’ 

Anyone searching for a sign of hope can consider that Jones is 5-1-1 against the Commanders — he is 17-36 against everyone else.

Jones has 62 career touchdown passes, and 10 of them have come against the Washington franchise.

And Jones is 3-1 on the road against his favorite division opponent. 

As he walked away from his locker earlier this week, Jones was asked if he knew the new name of the place the Giants will play this week. 

“North … Northwest something … Northwest Stadium,’’ he said. 

Correct, he was told. 

“I like FedEx Field,’’ he said, smiling, citing the former name of the building where he previously experienced so much success.