Daniel Jones insists his sprained left ankle “felt good” after practicing on Wednesday as the New York Giants quarterback faces a race against time to play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers in London.
The Giants travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Jones scheduled to go head-to-head against two-time reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers.
But the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft left Sunday’s 20-12 victory over the Bears with an ankle injury.
But head coach Brian Daboll has been encouraged by his quarterback’s response to treatment and Jones is now also optimistic he is trending towards playing.
“Yeah, it felt good to get out there and then working with the trainers and,” Jones said. “You know, I made a lot of progress last couple of days.
“I’m confident in my ability to throw from a pocket, throw outside the pocket and make plays from both.”
Jones will likely be a game-time decision, with the game kicking off at 2:30pm BST (9:30am ET) on Sunday, and will travel with the Giants on Thursday to London.
Should Jones not be able to go, fans in London will likely see a mismatch in the quarterback head-to-head with veteran passer Tyrod Taylor also a major doubt and remains in concussion protocol.
Practice squad quarterback Davis Webb, who is yet to start in the NFL, is currently the third option, although former Giants quarterback Jake Fromm and A.J. McCarron are practicing with the team with a view to adding more depth at the position.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur insists preparation can be tricky when the opposition’s quarterback is unclear.
“I’ve been in a similar situation on the other side of this,” admitted LaFleur. “We didn’t know who our quarterback was going to be and sometimes it makes you get pretty creative, so I think it kind of leaves up everything in the open for what we could potentially be facing.”
Green Bay Packers vs New York Giants live from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Sunday, the second of the three 2022 NFL London Games, will be live on ITV with coverage starting at 2pm BST
