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Jones is a rookie, and rookie quarterback struggle. He shows flashes of brilliance, but those can't overcome the things he continues to do wrong.
"I think I'm making progress in some areas," Jones said after the Giants' third straight loss, this time 27-21 to the Cards. "And I still need to improve a lot in others."
Yes he does, because right now he's turning into a turnover machine.
Jones, quite simply, takes far too many chances, trying to throw balls into incredibly tight windows. He's either not seeing the defenders, or just assumes he's good enough to squeeze the ball in. He also seems reluctant to throw the ball away, which leads to him holding it too long. And his offensive line just isn't good enough for him to do that.
And all that has led to this: Six fumbles, five lost, in five games, plus seven interceptions giving him 12 turnovers in all. That too is not surprising for a rookie quarterback. Alarmingly, though, his penchant for turnovers was one of the constant criticisms even the scouts who liked him had before the NFL draft.
Regardless, 12 turnovers in five starts is a pretty significant deal. On Sunday, that was the difference between him and Kyler Murray, the Cardinals rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick. Jones looked like the better, more NFL-ready quarterback for most of the game, completing 22 of 35 passes for 223 yards while Murray went 14 of 21 for 104. But Murray didn't turn the ball over. Jones turned it over three times.
And as Tom Coughlin used to point out over and over and over again: Turnovers, more than anything else, make the biggest difference in NFL games.
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