What's Next for the Giants After Daniel Jones's Hamstring Injury?
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones wasn't the lone injury during the Giants' 19-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday--safety Nate Ebner (knee) and outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell (calf) were injured as well.
But Jones's strained hamstring suffered on a third-quarter running play no doubt has the team holding its collective breath pending the outcome of an MRI scheduled for Monday.
Jones had another efficient day passing the football, completing 16 of 27 passes for 213 yards and no turnovers. His day came to an end on a seven-yard run in which he immediately grabbed the back of his right leg.
He tried to shake it off, but after backup Colt McCoy took a couple of snaps, Jones's leg locked up after he attempted a pass to Wayne Gallman in the flat.
"Just felt it on that play and didn’t feel like I could get a lot on it really or do what I needed to do to be effective and move the ball and throw it accurately," Jones said after the game. "We’ll see exactly what it is, it’s tough to tell, but I did feel it there on that run and probably never had anything exactly like this."
The good news for Jones and the Giants is that the quarterback was able to remain standing for the rest of the game, albeit on the sideline as he watched McCoy and the rest of his teammates finish off the Bengals en route to a spot atop of the NFC East.
However, with the Giants set to travel to Seattle next week to start a critical four-game stretch against teams with winning records, Jones' recovery and return could be the most consequential factor that plays into the Giants' playoff hopes.
An MRI has been scheduled for Monday, which will tell the full story of what Jones is dealing with. ESPN reported that the injury is "pretty bad," and it is possible that Jones could miss considerable time.
"I’m certainly not discouraged. I think it’s tough to tell exactly what it is right now, so we’ll get back and examine it," Jones said.
"I’m excited to win and get the win and be a part of that, so certainly not discouraged at all and understand I’ve got to do what I can to get healthy, recover it, recover from it and get back on the field. But certainly, I want to be out there."
Jones missed two games late last season with a high ankle sprain but returned o worse for the wear from that one to finish the season. In his senior year at Duke in 2018, he missed two games with a shoulder injury.
But hamstring injuries can be tricky, and, depending on the severity of the strain's grade, it's not out of the question that Jones could be looking at missing multiple weeks.
If Jones can't go, the expectations that Colt McCoy, who relieved him this week, will be the starter, with Clayton Thorson, who is currently on the practice squad, likely to be elevated as a backup.
The Giants are set to travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks next Sunday in a week where the rest of the division is also set to face tough opponents. (The Eagles will take on the 7-3 Packers, Washington will face the 10-0 Steelers, and the Cowboys, who trail the Giants by a game, will take on the 6-4 Ravens.)
