Super Wild Card Weekend brought us many humiliating performances: the Chargers blowing a 27-point lead, Mike McDaniel struggling to call plays, Tom Brady looking absolutely lifeless.
But the person who should be most embarrassed following a humbling weekend of NFL playoff action is Joe Judge. The Giants’ upset 31-24 victory over the Vikings proves his short-lived head coaching tenure in New York was one of the most disastrous in recent memory.
The Giants went 4-13 last season with basically the same roster, and were such a laughingstock, the most memorable play of their lost campaign was a QB sneak on 3rd-and-9 from their own goal line. That embarrassing play call was a fitting end to Judge’s time with the storied franchise.
They never had a chance with him on the sideline.
Matt Patricia has received the bulk of the blame for Mac Jones’ regression, but Daniel Jones’ ascent this season is a reminder that Judge was also an atrocious choice for quarterback coach.
Last January, when the Giants hired Brian Daboll, owner John Mara acknowledged Judge was the wrong coach for the 2019 first-round pick.
“We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here,” said Mara.
Robert Kraft could spout a similar line about Mac Jones this season. The common denominator is Judge.
On Sunday, Daniel Jones was spectacular. He completed 24 of his 35 passes for 301 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. He also ran the ball 17 times for 78 yards and a touchdown — almost doubling Saquon Barkley’s carries.
Jones is the first quarterback in NFL history with 300 or more passing yards, two or more passing touchdowns, and 70 or more rushing yards in a postseason game.
This season, Jones completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions — all stark improvements over his performances in 2020 and 2021.
He accomplished that, by the way, with an inferior receiving corps compared to what Mac Jones was working with. The Giants’ best receivers is Isaiah Hodgins, a sixth-round pick who was cut from Buffalo’s practice squad in November.
A lot of attention will be paid to the Patriots’ search for an offensive coordinator. But removing Judge from Mac Jones’ life will be just as important.
