Daniel Jones Taking Neck Injury One Day at a Time

Jones sounded uncertain about his availability for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

Although he won't come right out and admit it, the 2023 season has been one big source of frustration for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.

Battered and knocked around like a pinball behind a revolving door of offensive linemen, Jones is now dealing with a neck injury, his second one in three years, and an injury that he claims is different than the one that cost him six games in 2021.

But unlike that first neck injury, for which Jones eventually had a procedure, this one is a bit more curious. For one, after claiming to be feeling much better as late as Tuesday, Jones came to work on Wednesday feeling sore enough to where the trainers decided to hold him out of practice.

And that's the other thing. During his first neck issue, Jones continued to practice, protected obviously by the red jersey and the non-contact nature of the practice. This time, however, the Giants didn't seem willing to take any chances with Jones, going so far as to have him remain inside, where he presumably received treatment.

Giants Practice Report: Thomas, Barkley, Jones Headline Lengthy Injury Report

All of this has jeopardized Jones's status for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills, though Jones tried his best to downplay this latest injury.

"Still a little bit sore but feeling better," he said. "Felt better every day since Sunday, so just continuing to listen to the doctors and trainers and trying to get better as quick as possible."

Jones wouldn't divulge his diagnosis, so it's hard to know if he has a nerve, disc, muscular, or spinal issue. He did, however, repeat that he wasn't concerned about long-term injury.

"Just what the injury is and how they expect it to heal," he said when asked why he was confident this wouldn't be a long-term affair.

"The goal is still to play Sunday, that’s certainly my goal, and that’s what I’m working on," Jones said. "I’m preparing to play like I always would and taking the advice of the doctors and trainers."

While Jones is clearly hoping to be ready, he's also smart enough to realize that this isn't something he can necessarily rush back from or play the pain tolerance game.

"It’s a contact sport, a physical sport, so I think the idea is to recover and be healed," Jones said. "That’s the idea. So, I’m trying to get there as soon as possible to get back out there."

But when asked how realistic his being able to play Sunday night was, Jones said, "I think it’s tough to say today. It has a lot to do with how I feel tomorrow, the day after that, so I’m just going to continue to do what I can to heal."

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