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By Michael Stewart/@golferbad

Introduction: Daniel Jones NFL debut will arguably go down as one of the most memorable games as a rookie not only in New York Giants history but in NFL history. Giant fans witnessed Jones performance during the pre-season first hand, however; it’s hard to imagine that anyone expected to take it up a notch in his debut.

The 32-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was their first of the season and GM Dave Gettleman and Head Coach Pat Shurmur are looking forward to the Giants next game. Jones was 23/36 for 336 yards with two touchdowns through the air and two on the ground. However; it was the Giants final drive that capped off what Daniel Jones was all about (8 plays/75 yards) resulting in a 7 yard run by Jones for the winning score.

Top 3 Reasons Why the Giants won

Daniel Jones Performance: Enough can’t be said about how well Jones played in his debut and more importantly; how poised he looked under center. Jones was under extreme pressure by the Bucs defense; which were able to sack him 4 times and countless pressure; especially in the 2nd half. To Jones credit, he showed patience and toughness inside the pocket and didn’t surrender an interception.

Giants pass rush: No, this isn’t a misprint; as the Giants defense made life in the pocket a little uncomfortable for Jameis Winston throughout the game with 5 sacks and forced him into hurrying his throws; especially later in the game.  

3rd down Efficiency: Not often do the Giants win the battle of 3rd down efficiency, so when they do it should be noted. The Giants had a 46% ratio on 3rd down to the Bucs 28% ratio. Since the Bucs nearly dominated the stat board in nearly every other category, this one stat line was big for the Giants.

Hero: Daniel Jones (Quarterback):

What made Jones performance even more impressive was the fact that the Giants lost running back Saquon Barkley for most of the game with a sprained ankle Jones basically carry the team on his shoulders and with a little luck at the end of the game, gave the Giants their first win of the season.  

Final Thoughts:

This was a feel-good win for the Giants who really needed it. Despite the win, their secondary continues to look horrendous with cornerback Janoris Jenkins leading the way as he was totally outplayed by wide receiver Michael Evans. I believe the Giants are going to continue to make changes on the defensive side of the ball; which started with inserting ILB Ryan Connelly and CB DeAndre Baker into the starting lineup.

Goat: Matt Gray (kicker):  

Until the final play of the game, Gray was on his way of being the hero as he was 4/4 in FG’s attempts. However; Gray missed a 34-yard field goal attempt that sealed the deal for the Giants.