The 2023 season has undoubtedly been a source of frustration for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, even though he hasn’t explicitly admitted it. Jones has endured a tumultuous season, battered and knocked around like a pinball behind a revolving door of offensive linemen. Adding to his woes, he’s now grappling with a neck injury, which marks his second encounter with such an issue in three years. Interestingly, Jones maintains that this neck injury is distinct from the one that sidelined him for six games in 2021.
In contrast to his response to the first neck injury, where Jones continued practicing, albeit protected by a red jersey and a non-contact practice environment, this time, the Giants have taken a more cautious approach. Jones, who had been feeling better as late as Tuesday, arrived at work on Wednesday with enough discomfort to warrant a decision by the trainers to hold him out of practice. This raises questions about the nature and severity of his current injury.
All these developments cast doubt on Jones’s availability for the upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills. Nevertheless, Jones attempted to downplay the significance of this latest setback, stating, “Still a little bit sore but feeling better. Felt better every day since Sunday, so just continuing to listen to the doctors and trainers and trying to get better as quickly as possible.”
While Jones refrained from disclosing the precise diagnosis of his injury, he did express confidence that it wouldn’t lead to long-term problems. He emphasized, “The goal is still to play Sunday; that’s certainly my goal, and that’s what I’m working on. I’m preparing to play like I always would and taking the advice of the doctors and trainers.”
Jones acknowledges the challenges of returning to action promptly in a contact sport like football. He stated, “It’s a contact sport, a physical sport, so I think the idea is to recover and be healed. That’s the idea. So, I’m trying to get there as soon as possible to get back out there.” However, when asked about the realistic chances of him playing on Sunday, Jones admitted, “I think it’s tough to say today. It has a lot to do with how I feel tomorrow, the day after that, so I’m just going to continue to do what I can to heal.”
