Duke in the NFL: Jones impresses in primetime loss, Crowder remains inactive

With the second week of the NFL coming to a close, let’s take a look at how a few former Blue Devils performed across the league. The Blue Zone keeps you up to date:

Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants

After an inconsistent showing in the season opener against the Denver Broncos at home, Jones’ performance  Thursday was among the best in his NFL career. While running back Saquon Barkley bounced back and showed flashes of his younger self, Jones' zone-read paid dividends for the New York offense, as the quarterback rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts, the most rushing yards by any Giants quarterback in the Super Bowl era.

The former Blue Devil's passing was also extremely consistent as he completed 22 of his 32 pass attempts without a single interception, finishing the game with a passer rating of 102.2. This contrasted sharply with his Week One performance, in which he completed just 59.5 percent of his passing attempts and lost a fumble. Jones also improved his average depth of target from 8.6 yards to 11 yards between contests. 

Despite the Giants falling 30-29 to Washington on a last-second field goal, Thursday night's game showcased a new height for Jones. At this point in his career, there is little more important to his development than consistent production, something that the Giants certainly hope will carry on throughout the season.

Jamison Crowder, WR, New York Jets

Unfortunately for Crowder, the Jets' veteran was once again declared inactive for Sunday’s home matchup against the New England Patriots. The Duke product was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list this week and returned to practice, but still was unable to suit up for New York in Week Two.

The Jets struggled in the matchup, as rookie quarterback Zach Wilson completed just 19 of 33 passes to go along with four interceptions that combined for a lowly passer rating of 37.0. The receiving cast was also underwhelming, as leading receiver Braxton Berrios recorded just 73 yards on seven receptions. As he returns, Crowder will need to once again find his own place in New York's offense and develop chemistry with his younger teammates at the same time.