Jameis Winston didn’t get a chance to compete for the Giants’ starting quarterback job because he tends to turn the ball over.
Well, so does Russell Wilson.
Jaxson Dart is waiting on the bench because Wilson was supposed to win games for the Giants while the rookie first-round pick developed.
Well, Wilson isn’t winning any games.
John Mara, Steve Tisch, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have to pull the plug at quarterback now.
If they believe Dart is ready, it should be him. If they think he needs more time, it should be Winston.
But they cannot put Wilson back on the field.
They’re not fooling their opponents, other than the laughingstock Cowboys defense. They’re not fooling their fans.
Wilson threw the ball out of the back of the end zone on 4th down late in Sunday night’s 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs rather than risk a turnover while giving someone a chance to make a play.
He is on his fourth team in five years for a reason. He has lost eight straight starts, including last season’s 0-5 skid down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stretch and their playoff beatdown loss to Baltimore.
His 43.8 quarterback rating in Sunday’s loss was the sixth lowest of his NFL career.
The Giants’ 20% red zone touchdown percentage is second-worst in the NFL ahead of only the sorry Houston Texans. Wilson has not thrown a touchdown pass in the red zone yet this season through three games.
It’s over. Forget Halloween. This marks another organizational plan down the drain before the end of September.
No matter how bad of a gameplan Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka cooked up on Sunday night, know this:
If Winston had been the Giants’ quarterback, there is no way on this green Earth that he would have let Kansas City’s defense stop him from targeting Malik Nabers until the 16th offensive play of the game.
There is no way Winston would have let two deep safeties stop him from firing the ball into Nabers, who finished with career lows in catches (two) and yards (13).
Would he have turned the ball over once or twice while trying to do it? Maybe. But again, Wilson is already doing that.
He threw two lollipop interceptions on Sunday and was fortunate that the Chiefs didn’t come down with a third.
At least Winston has a reputation for mixing explosive plays into his mistakes.
While Wilson erupted against Dallas in Week 2, the Giants have scored 15 total points in their other two losses. Plus, Wilson undid his big day against the Cowboys with an overtime interception that led to that defeat.
Most Giants fans, of course, don’t want to see anyone but Dart at quarterback at this point.
It’s hard to blame them considering the Giants sold them the hype by making Dart the No. 2 quarterback over Winston and playing the rookie in Weeks 2 and 3 while leaving Winston inactive.
Only the Giants know internally if they want to break the glass on the Dart decision now. Left tackle Andrew Thomas’ continued health after returning to the lineup probably will be a big factor in that decision.
Thomas did not allow a quarterback pressure in 11 pass blocking snaps in his limited playing time on Sunday. Rookie Marcus Mbow, who replaced Thomas in the second quarter, allowed nine quarterback pressures in 27 pass blocking snaps, according to NFL NextGen Stats.
If Thomas’ foot responds well to Sunday’s 28 snaps — and if he is able to play more in Week 4 against the Chargers — the Giants presumably would feel safer playing Dart than if they had to continue rotating in the rookie Mbow.
Dart was diplomatic postgame Sunday when asked about the fans chanting “We want Dart!”
“I didn’t hear it,” the rookie said.
He said: “I like being on the field.” But he’s focused on “trying to be a good teammate.”
Not that he doesn’t have an opinion on how the offense as a whole can improve.
“We gotta find a balance and consistency in making sure we’re able to exploit every part of a defense,” Dart said. “And I have confidence we’re gonna figure it out.”
Wide receiver Darius Slayton insisted Wilson is still the Giants’ guy.
“At the end of the day, our job is to win football games,” Slayton said. “Put the people out there that give us the best chances to win football games. I think we’ll continue to do that.”
But Daboll again would not confirm Wilson as the following week’s starter.
“You guys have asked me about players after games,” he said. “I’m not going to answer that.”
Fine. Don’t answer it. Don’t make a switch. And watch the same result play out on the field Sunday against the Chargers.