Should the Giants give Tyrod Taylor the starting job over Daniel Jones?

The New York Giants just gave the Buffalo Bills a run for their money on Sunday Night Football, but couldn’t quite hold on in the end. They came into their Week 6 game as the biggest underdogs of the weekend and came out of it losing 14-9. New York’s defense was the catalyst to keep the Giants close, but quarterback Tyrod Taylor played well, completing 66.7% of his passes for 200 yards, adding 24 yards on five carries. He did have a crucial mistake at the end of the first half when he audibled to a run without a timeout at the goal line, costing the team at least three points in a tight game.

Taylor got the start due to starter Daniel Jones going down with a neck injury in Week 5, but one that reportedly won’t keep him out long. The question Brian Daboll and company need to answer is, would Taylor give the team a better chance to win games?

Without a functioning crystal ball we can’t know for sure what the best move is, but we can look at the situation and make our best educated guess.

The numbers

So far this season Jones and Taylor have very similar numbers, as both are at a 69% completion rate, while Jones is at 5.9 yards per attempt to Taylor’s 5.7 yards per attempt. Both are effective scramblers as well.

One big difference in their stats is that Taylor has an interception rate of 1.6% to Jones’ 2.1% on their careers, along with Taylor sporting a higher yards per attempts and yards per completion. Jones does have a better career completion percentage, but he has looked miserable behind that line this year.

Sacks

One crucial problem with the Giants this season is the offensive line. Jones has been sacked 28 times in five games for a crazy 15.6% sack rate, while Taylor is at 7.3% this season. Taylor is of course on a smaller sample size, but showed escapability on Sunday night, while also still being able to get the ball downfield.

This throw here shows how the Giants can use Taylor behind a leaky offensive line. It was called back due to a ticky-tack foul, but the goods are there.

Should the Giants start Taylor over Jones?

The Giants are now 1-5 and all but out of the playoff race, but they did sign Jones to an extension with $82 million fully guaranteed. The team is not ready to move on from him long term, which means they will likely keep shoving him out there. But, this neck injury could be a way to give Jones some rest while they try to get their offensive line healthy and see how Taylor can do.

Taylor isn’t the answer long term. But right now, he looks better than Jones. Will that last? Maybe, maybe not, but as long as he’s playing well, it’s a good way to compare the offense with Taylor vs. Jones as they look to the future.