Daniel Jones ruled out for Sunday's Giants game vs. Bills
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones speaks with reporters following practice on Oct. 11, 2023. Credit: AP/Tom Canavan
Here is a partial list of the things the Giants will have working against them when they play the Bills on Sunday night: They don’t have their starting quarterback. They don’t have their starting left tackle. They’re facing a team with the most sacks in the NFL.
Oh, and their league-worst offensive line will be in its sixth different starting configuration in six games.
Other than that, things should be fine.
Daniel Jones’ neck injury will keep him out of the Giants’ Week 6 matchup and Andrew Thomas’ hamstring injury will sideline him for a fifth straight game. The offensive line has allowed a league-worst 30 sacks and will face a Bills defense that already has 21 of them.
Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor will get the nod against his old team, coach Brian Daboll confirmed Friday — his first start since Dec. 5, 2021.
“He’s played a long time at this position,” Daboll said of Taylor, who came in for the final 12 minutes of the Giants’ loss to the Dolphins last Sunday. “Again, it takes all 11 people to do their job and to play well. Again, Tyrod prepares himself, holds himself to a high standard, and I know he’ll do everything he can to go out there and put a good product on the field.”
Taylor has played in 85 games and will be making his 54th start on Sunday night. Quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney said the Giants don’t intend to change their process with regard to Taylor or their patchwork offensive line.
“I’m really glad we have Tyrod,” Tierney said. “He’s a pro. He does exactly what you need, exactly what you want, week in and week out. He’s a great person to have in the room in terms of talking to the other guys, helping the younger guys along.’’
Daboll ruled out three other players: linebacker Azeez Ojulari (ankle) and linemen Matt Peart (shoulder) and John Michael Schmitz (shoulder). Linebacker Micah McFadden (ankle) and tight end Darren Waller (groin) didn’t practice on Friday and are questionable.
Five other players also were marked as questionable, including running back Saquon Barkley, whose high ankle sprain already has cost him three games. Daboll said Barkley has been improving but didn’t know if he’d be available. Also questionable: tackle Evan Neal (ankle), running back Gary Brightwell (ankle), guard Shane Lemieux (groin) and defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (knee).
Asked about his options, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said he has been “working a lot of guys because, honestly, of what’s happened in the last couple weeks where you get multiple injuries in a game. I can’t just settle on one guy. I’ve got to work multiple guys.”
That’s just more motivation for the Giants to stay cautious with their banged-up skill position players. Even when healthier, their offensive line has been a source of constant agita, having allowed 100 pressures in their first five games.
Their pass blocking and run blocking both are the worst in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus — something that becomes even more of an issue when dealing with Jones’ injury
Jones, who also hurt his neck in 2021, missing the final six games of the season, was injured last week when he was sacked on a blind-side hit in the loss to the Dolphins.
Thomas’ injury — which has kept him out for all but one game — has weakened that blind-side protection, and various lingering injuries to the rest of the line have left the Giants with a number of holes going into Sunday.
Asked who else can play tackle with Peart and Thomas out, Daboll said they were “working through that.”
Thomas said he isn’t sure when he’ll return to action.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “It comes with football. People have injuries. I’m just trying to keep a positive mindset. Being down on myself isn’t going to make it heal any faster . . . Definitely [the offensive line has faced] a lot of adversity. A lot of guys down. We have a tight-knit group . . . We’re doing our best to prepare.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
