New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was having himself a game against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve as the team looked to further its playoff portfolio.
The embattled signal caller had completed 24-of-30 passes for 277 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions through three-plus quarters. His Giants were very much in the game at that point, down by the score of 17-13.
That’s when the bad version of Mr. Jones showed up. On first and 10 inside the Vikings’ 35 yard line with just under 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Jones threw an interception into the hands of future Hall of Fame cornerback Patrick Peterson. Those who support Jones as the face of the Giants moving forward might want to look away.
That’s a rookie mistake from the fourth-year quarterback. Peterson read Daniel Jones like a book. We’re not talking “War and Peace,” either.
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The good news for New York is that the Vikings’ next drive resulted in a turnover on downs. The bad news? This team will have to rely on Jones if it is going to come back in the fourth quarter and move to 9-5-1 on the season, pretty much guaranteeing a playoff spot in the process.
- Daniel Jones stats (2022): 66% completion, 2,694 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT
As you can see, Jones has avoided the mistakes that plagued him earlier in his career. It’s one of the reasons New York finds itself surprisingly in the playoff mix. The hope here is that what we saw above doesn’t repeat itself.