Daniel Jones’ stunning ineptitude has made for a massive Giants mess

There was so much alarm and genuine bewilderment that Daniel Jones could embark on a new season and look so bad, so overmatched and so dysfunctional that it caused those who have followed his career — inside and outside the building — to try to figure out what the heck happened out there. 

To be clear, the expectations were not exactly soaring for the 27-year-old quarterback, coming off ACL surgery and a brutal 2023 cameo. There was the anticipation that Jones, in his third year in Brian Daboll’s offensive system and with a brand-new play-making toy in Malik Nabers, would look capable, competent and in control of what he wanted to get accomplished, without any preconceived notions that his performance would rise to the level of greatness or any real superlative distinction. 

What the Giants and their instantly horrified fans saw in the season-opening 28-6 loss to the Vikings was the shell of a quarterback who was able to limit mistakes and win games as recently as 2022. Jones had difficulty in every facet, checking off no boxes as he bounced the ball or watched it sail over and behind his targets. From bad to worse in a three-hour first test that he failed, miserably. 

It looked as if this were a player in regression.