After holding Daniel Jones out vs. Seattle, the NY Giants are going to give the quarterback every chance to prove he’s healthy enough to return vs. Cardinals
The NY Giants went into Seattle on Sunday and pulled off a double-digit upset of the Seahawks that announced New York’s presence as a legitimate contender, and they did it behind backup quarterback Colt McCoy.
McCoy’s gutty performance, passing for 105 yards with one touchdown and one interception, didn’t just move the Giants closer to clinching the NFC East division championship, but dampened the urgency to rush Daniel Jones back from a right hamstring injury suffered in Week 12 against the Bengals.
However, as the Giants turn the page to Sunday’s opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, Giants head coach Joe Judge says it’s very possible that Jones will be able to return as early as this week.
"“We’re going to give him every opportunity to go on the practice field this week,” Judge said Monday. “And show that he can defend himself on the field properly. If that’s the case, then we obviously want him to play. But we’re going to make sure we do the right thing by him.”"
Contrary to what might have been suggested, the Giants gave Jones every chance to play on Sunday, but ultimately it was Judge’s call to give the injury at least one more week to heal.
“Look, I had to make the decision this week to go ahead and hold him out,” Judge explained. “He was a little disappointed because he’s a competitive guy.”
The Giants plan to dial back the intensity when the team returns to practice, holding a walkthrough on Wednesday after Monday’s cross-country flight home from Seattle and an off day for the players on Tuesday. That means Jones will have had five days to rest his hamstring — with two long haul flights in between — before giving it a legitimate test in Thursday’s practice.
“We have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to get on the field.,” Judge said. “We’ll see how he looks in there, and we’ll make the best decision for him going forward.”
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.