New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has faced a lot of criticism and plenty of doubters since being selected No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. For the majority of his first three seasons, he didn’t look like a starter in the NFL, but that has changed in 2022.
Daniel Jones had easily the best season of his career in Year 4. Brian Daboll and his staff got the most out of his young quarterback and the supporting cast around him. It culminated in a 9-6-1 regular season with Jones on the field and a Wild Card spot.
No one could have seen this coming in September as many projected the Giants to be in the running for a top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Daboll and Daniel Jones had other plans, as Big Blue experienced one of the most impressive single-season turnarounds in recent history.
This is a team that won four games last season and was the laughingstock of the NFL. Now, they are in the final eight after defeating the Minnesota Vikings during Super Wild Card Weekend, 31-24.
A big reason that the Giants are advancing is the performance of Daniel Jones. He was very good in the first matchup against the Vikings on Christmas Eve, with his only mistake being the one interception that he threw. On Sunday afternoon, Jones played a near-perfect game.
Daniel Jones completed 24-of-35 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns, picking apart the Vikings’ porous defense all game. He also made an impact on the ground, rushing the ball 17 times for 78 yards.
According to NFL Research on Twitter, that is one of the best performances by a quarterback in NFL history. Daniel Jones is the first quarterback in league history with 300+ passing yards, 2+ passing touchdowns and 70+ rushing yards in a playoff game.
Josh Allen, Colin Kaepernick, Donovan McNabb and Steve Young are all in the 200+ passing, 2+ touchdown and 70+ rushing yard club, but Jones made the new one when he hit Isaiah Hodgins for an eight-yard pass late in the fourth quarter.
The Giants’ miraculous season will continue next week as they pay a visit to their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. If Daniel Jones puts together another performance similar to the one he did against the Vikings, Big Blue will have a great chance at pulling off the upset.
