New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones lay on the grass in obvious pain after absorbing his 28th sack of the season and his 16th over the past two games.
It’s a scene that has become all too familiar to Giants fans but this time, Jones was slow to get back up. Instead, he was immediately tended to by trainers before being whisked away to the blue medical tent and then the locker room.
The Giants almost immediately ruled him out for the game.
Such a swift designation is rarely a positive sign and that fear was realized when the team announced that Jones had suffered a neck injury.
That injury is significant because Jones suffered a terrifying neck/spinal injury in 2021 that cost him the final six games of the season and required surgery, although he insisted at the time it was unrelated.
After the 31-16 loss to Miami, Jones attempted to downplay his injury but ultimately admitted that the pain was similar to the 2021 injury.
“I think I’m certainly in some pain, physical game. So I’ll meet with the doctors and trainers and then go from there,” Jones told reporters. “I’ve certainly dealt with a similar issue. Like I said, I’ll meet with the doctors and trainers and go from there.”
Jones will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury but given his history, it’s likely he’ll miss some time.
However, like Jones himself, head coach Brian Daboll attempted to downplay the injury a bit until more information was available.
“I just saw him when I came in. He was sitting at his locker. I asked how he was doing, and he said, ‘I’ll be OK.’ That’s what he said,” Daboll told reporters. “Got hit pretty good. He’s been getting hit quite a bit.”
Jones has been getting hit entirely too much but now Daboll has a plan.
“Affecting the quarterback plays an important role in the game. We have to figure out ways to protect him better,” Daboll said.
Unfortunately for Jones, it’s a little late for that.