New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones faces many challenges heading into the 2023 season. The team has been upgraded all around him, he’s been rewarded with a lucrative contract extension and expectations are higher than ever.
The pressure is on Jones to produce. One step in the right direction for him would be to defeat the Dallas Cowboys this week, a task Jones has been able to pull off just once in seven tries over his career.
Buy Giants Tickets“We haven’t had success recently,” Jones told reporters on Tuesday when reminded of the Giants’ struggles versus Dallas. “You know, we understand that but focusing on what we’re doing kind of right now and preparing to play and focusing on what we’re doing Sunday night, obviously, is the key to playing our best. Looking forward to doing that.”
"It's a big game because it's the first game, because it's a divisional game, and because it's the next game"
– Daniel Jones on facing the Cowboys in Week 1 pic.twitter.com/oUuXWMD1Xv
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 5, 2023
The Giants have lost four straight against Dallas and have dropped 11 of the last 12 meetings. If the Giants don’t start beating the teams in their division, it will be more difficult for them to take their progress to the next level.
Sure, they made the playoffs with a 1-4-1 record against their NFC East opponents last year, but that is an anomaly. Usually, teams that qualify for the postseason fare better in their own division.
In his career, Jones has played well against Washington (5-1-1) and held his own against Philadelphia (2-3) but Dallas has been a challenge.
“It’s a big divisional game for us,” Jones said, towing the company line. “All the divisional games are certainly big and match up with a lot of tradition and history so yeah, it’s a big deal. But it’s about what we do, it’s about how we play and taking care of our business first.”
And the Giants are moving towards becoming a team that can control their own destiny. With upgrades on both sides of the football, Big Blue could be closing the gap on Big D.
“I feel great about our guys,” added Jones. “I feel like we’re in a really good spot with who we’ve got and how we can attack a defense in a lot of different ways and a lot of different skillsets and dynamic guys to get the ball to in space. I feel great about our group.”
