New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones doesn't pose the biggest threat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he's still capable of causing problems for the defense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will play host to the New York Giants on Monday as they look to continue banking wins ahead of a daunting second-half schedule.
Recent weeks haven’t been kind to New York. Quarterback Daniel Jones has struggled mightily, left tackle Andrew Thomas and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux hit injured reserve, and the offense has mustered a combined 10 points in since upsetting the Seattle Seahawks.
Subsequently, the Giants are viewed as a fairly unserious opponent, touchdown underdogs and fodder for a playoff hopeful. At the very least, both teams are trending in opposite directions.
But head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t anticipate his team playing down to its Week 8 opponent, and his defense knows it must take care of business.
Part of that is not providing any bulletin board material.
On Wednesday, edge rusher Alex Highsmith spoke about the potential challenge Jones presents.
“He definitely provides both,” Highsmith told Aaron Becker. “Mentally, he throws the ball well, good runner as well. We know that’s an aspect of his game that we have to take into account. That mobility is something we have to build a plan around. We see it in our division. We see it with Lamar (Jackson), we see it with Deshaun (Watson), we even see it with Joe Burrow, too.
“So I think we’re prepared for it. But we’ve gotta have a unique plan around this guy because he can do multiple things.”
“Unique”? Jones isn’t contending for the MVP award like Jackson or commandeering an elite offense like Burrow, but his mobility does serve him well. He’s at his best when he’s a piece of the rushing attack and scrambling to avoid pressure, rather than playing around behind the line of scrimmage and trying to make things happen with his arm out of structure.
That was thrust into uncertainty when he tore his ACL last season. But physically, Jones is doing well, and his production on the ground (184 yards in seven games) is in line with career averages.
However, Jones has struggled this season, epitomized by Week 7’s breakdown that saw him get sacked seven times and eventually benched in a 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s been dreadful downfield – New York hasn’t had a 20-yard pass play since Week 5 – and is looking less like the 2022 version of himself that helped the Giants stay afloat early in the year.
He looks like a crumbling quarterback, and the Steelers have the pass rush talent to take advantage of that, especially with Thomas out for the season. New York will be sure to keep right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle to match up with edge rusher T.J. Watt, but Highsmith and the rest of a high-powered defensive line should have the advantage in the trenches.
As long as they can keep contain, Jones’ pocket navigation might lend itself to a few sacks anyway. Pittsburgh’s proclivity for generating pressure should only add to the bullets flying in the backfield.
As for Highsmith’s AFC North comparison, Pittsburgh logged 22 sacks in six divisional games last season. The Steelers will look to do at least as much damage on Monday.
