It's just a freak coincidence, a stroke of luck, a stroke of good fortune. Intellectually, we all know this. Intellectually, we know that the list of must-haves that NFL schedule writers considered before assembling their vast maze was not something like this:
1. They'll play the Chiefs at home on the first day of the new year.
2. Daniel Jones will start his return against the Vikings.
But it's still a good start for Jones, who has come a long way since knee surgery, endured lonely hours of rehabilitation and even more lonely moments of doubt, fear and anxiety. Jones' six-game season last year was, frankly, not all that exciting: two touchdowns, six interceptions, a 70.5 rating and a 1-5 record.
But all that faded away thanks to the magic of the season opener. Jones will get a fresh start on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Giant Stadium, against a team he beat twice in a three-week span two years ago. In Week 16, on Christmas Eve, he was outstanding in a 27-24 loss to the Vikings, completing 30 of 42 passes for 334 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
But in the first round of the playoffs, he played even better in front of 66,721 Minnesotans at U.S. Bank Park, where he shouted at the top of his lungs for three hours trying to get close to Jones, even though he never got close.
One has to believe that the game film of Giants 31, Vikings 24, and more specifically Jones' virtuoso performance (24-of-35 completions, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and over 78 yards on 17 carries) sealed the win for Joe Sean when he decided to sign Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract, meaning he chose Jones over Saquon Barkley as the franchise's cornerstone going forward.
Last season was a waste.
The rest of Daniel Jones' career begins now, Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife, as he faces the Vikings in a comeback that's about all he could want, at least in terms of muscle memory.
“I feel good, I'm ready and I'm excited to go out there,” Jones said last week. “I'm excited to see what we can do as a team offensively. With the work we've put in and the progress we've made, I think we can be a good team, score a lot of points and attack defenses in a variety of ways.”
It starts with the quarterback. It starts with Jones. Head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have said the Giants intend to be more aggressive downfield, and it makes perfect sense given the skill and potential of their newest receiver, Malik Neighbors.
“Big plays help,” Daboll said. “Skip third down. Move the ball a little further down the field. Less plays on the drive. Those kinds of things happen. You have to be really, really efficient on those long drives.”
And they believe they've seen enough from Jones this summer.
“He's always had a great work ethic,” Kafka said, “and that's never changed for him. From day one, being in the film room, being in the weight room, it's just kind of in his blood. The work ethic part has never really been an issue.”
Jones' likeability has also dwindled. From the start, it was hard not to hope that Jones could develop into a true successor to Eli Manning, the role for which the Giants drafted him, and at his best, he has lived up to that comparison.
We featured two of the Vikings' games in 2022, and Jones was great all year. The Giants were a pleasant surprise across the football world that year, with Jones leading the team.
Now he has Neighbors and should be ready to assemble at the stadium on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. This is the kind of potential weapon any quarterback dreams of, especially one who hasn't thrown a significant pass in the last 338 days.
“We feel like we're in a good spot,” Jones said. “I think we're confident. We've had a good camp and we're ready to go. We just need to go out there and execute. I think it's important that we translate the work that we've been putting in since the spring onto the field.”
If that happens, it could feel like 2022 all over again, and if you're a Giants fan, that's the only way to cheer.
