Defending himself, that is the mantra New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has accepted ever since entering his hamstring two weeks ago against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite the Giants traveling to Seattle knowing they would start back up quarterback Colt McCoy, the team still managed to extract an improbable victory over a winning opponent. The Giants’ victory was the first of any NFC East team against a winning squad, propelling the Giants to first place before the Washington Football Team secured a massive upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
Jones has gone 2.5 games without turning the ball over, the longest streak of his career. The Giants’ running game has picked up the slack in recent weeks, posting four consecutive games with 140+ rushing yards. As they prepare to face off against the Arizona Cardinals, who have been slaughtered by the run this year, there is hope that Daniel Jones can make a comeback this upcoming weekend.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the Giants are hoping Daniel Jones can make a return against Arizona:
“We’re going to give him every opportunity to go on the practice field this week and show that he can defend himself on the field properly,” Giants coach Joe Judge said. “If that’s the case, then we obviously want him to play. But we’re going to make sure we do the right thing by him.
“Look, I had to make the decision [Sunday at Seattle] to go ahead and hold him out. He was a little disappointed because he’s a competitive guy. But we have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get on the field. We’ll see how he looks in there, and we’ll make the best decision for him going forward.”
As a competitor, Jones wants to play in every game despite his injuries. So far this season, DJ has thrown for 2,335 yards, eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 403 yards and one score. Fortunately, his fumbling problem has been improved, cutting his total by 11 compared to 2019.
He will look to finish off the season strong, making significant progress in his development this year, which was essential for the Giants as they contemplate a quarterback decision for the future. With the Giants now in line to make the postseason, Jones remains an integral part of their game plan, and beating Arizona has become ever more important.