The Carolina Panthers gave Daniel Jones more headaches en route to their second-straight victory in Week 10. As it turned out, this was the final nail in the quarterback's proverbial New York Giants coffin.
Another wayward performance from Jones was the final straw for those in power. After some contemplation over the bye week, Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network reported that the Giants plan to bench the former first-round pick in favor of unheralded backup Tommy DeVito moving forward.
This was always a genuine possibility reading between the lines. Jones's production after signing a lofty contract extension was way short of the mark. The benching also saves the Giants from owing the signal-caller $23 million next season if he's injured at any stage.
Losing to the Carolina Panthers comes with huge repercussions league-wide
Carolina's defense held Jones to a 59.46 completion percentage in Munich, Germany. The Duke product mustered just 190 passing yards and threw two picks. This was the latest in a long line of failures that proved too much for head coach Brian Daboll to defend any longer.
This won't matter much to the Panthers, who are growing in stature. Established stars are getting healthy. Their game plan looks a lot more balanced. More importantly, quarterback Bryce Young is showing signs of life after being taken out of the firing line after Week 2's loss versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Whether this trend continues moving forward remains to be seen. The Panthers have a testing series of games before their regular-season engagements conclude. They've got more momentum after two successive triumphs, but that counts for nothing if they cannot build on it.
Losing to the Panthers is coming with significant ramifications for those who don't beat this perennial bottom-feeder. Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Gardner Minshew was benched after Week 3. However, the veteran responded well to adversity and is back in their lineup.
The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen and traded stud cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders following their Week 9 reverse. They've since gone on to win their last two contests, vindicating their decision and giving them a fighting chance of winning back respectability.
Now, Jones follows suit.
He'll be on the sidelines and face a bleak future. Paying him over running back Saquon Barkley was a grave error in judgment by the decision-makers, especially considering he joined the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. One that could eventually cost Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen their jobs when it's all said and done.
The Panthers are normally on the wrong side of headlines like this, so it's a refreshing change of pace. General manager Dan Morgan wanted the NFL to start taking this franchise seriously once again. They've spent too long as the league's laughingstock. That was his primary objective above all else this season.
If their improved fortunes come with collateral damage, so be it.