Giants QB Daniel Jones ‘feeling better’ after neck injury, says it’s different from 2021’s

Daniel Jones says he’s feeling better and hopes to play this weekend in Buffalo, but the Giants quarterback declined to go into specifics about the neck injury that forced him out of Sunday’s loss to Miami.

Appearing Tuesday on YouTube’s “Up & Adams Show,” Jones said this neck injury isn’t the same as the one that kept him out of the final six games of the 2021 season.

“I’m feeling good, feeling better,” Jones told host Kay Adams. “It’s different than what I’ve dealt with in the past, so just trying to heal up as quickly as possible and follow the advice from the trainers and doctors.”

Jones suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-16 loss when he was sacked by Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.

The 26-year-old Jones described “pain” in his neck immediately after the game but on Tuesday said it’s his goal to suit up for Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Bills.

“I’m gonna do everything I can to be out there,” Jones said.

Jones is in the first season of a four-year, $160 million contract. The former first-round pick has only thrown two touchdown passes against six interceptions for the 1-4 Giants and has been sacked a whopping 28 times behind a beat-up offensive line that’s been without injured star left tackle Andrew Thomas the past four games.

Dealing with contact would be the biggest challenge of playing Sunday, Jones said.

“Getting hit in a certain way exposes you, and I think that’s the biggest thing,” Jones told Adams. “It’s not necessarily what would prevent me from throwing or doing what I need to do, but just taking a similar hit could affect [it].”

Jones’ comments came a day after Giants coach Brian Daboll expressed optimism the fifth-year quarterback would play in Week 6.

“He’s feeling better today,” Daboll said Monday. “So I think he’s moving in the right direction. We’ll see where he is obviously when he comes back on Wednesday. But [he] doesn’t feel terrible today.”

Daboll said at the time he hadn’t seen the results of Jones’ MRI or scans, and Jones didn’t reference either during Tuesday’s interview.

Tyrod Taylor is the Giants’ backup quarterback. Taylor entered Sunday’s game after Jones’ early exit and had the wind knocked out of him during his own injury scare.

Jones’ injury is the latest for the beleaguered Giants, who have also been without star running back Saquon Barkley the past three weeks as he recovers from a high ankle sprain.